Roses Are Red
by Appello
Summary: Mortal enemies, or a match made in heaven? For Scorpius and Rose, there's a fine line between love and hate. Follows their relationship from 1st year to 7th year and beyond, as they learn that there's more to each other than they first assumed...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hey Folks, and welcome to my Scorpius/Rose fanfiction! I really hope you enjoy it. But before we begin, I'll just run through a few things.

_Story Structure: The majority of this story will take place in the last two years of Scorpius and Rose's schooling (ie. 6__th__ and 7__th__ year). However, because I couldn't possibly begin the story straight at 6__th__ year without some sort of character development, I have included several chapters detailing their 1__st__ through to 5__th__ years which hopefully gives some insight into their personalities, and interactions prior to the real story kicking off. This may mean the story is a little slow at first, but stay with me people! It will pick up, which brings me to…_

_Updates: I will be updating with the chapters I have already written once a week (usually on the weekend). I currently have around 10 chapters written. As hard as I try, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to keep up with weekly updates once I catch up with my own writing, although this is helped immensely by…_

_Reviews: Yes, I love them, we all love them, what writer doesn't? Reviews are like my fuel, I live off them. If I don't get enough, my creativity and desire to write starts to die ('urge to kill rising…'). Saying that, I hate begging for reviews and you'll probably find I don't mention them for the rest of this story. Neither am I very good at replying to them, because I'm busy and scatter brained and yeah…but I can guarantee that the more reviews I get, the more inspired I will be to finish this story in a timely manner. If I don't get enough reviews, I probably won't be bothered to continue past what I've already written._

_Rating: Yes, the big one. Currently on T, but will probably up the rating at some point in the story. But, kiddies, this is not a porno, sorry to disappoint. There may or may not be explicit sex, I haven't decided yet. Reviews would definitely sway me ;) _

_POV: All Rose so far. However, I may write some in Scorpius' POV as the story progresses, if it flows well and I feel like it. If you're desperately burning for Scorpius, or anything else for that matter, leave a review and I'll consider it. _

Ummm…so I think that's it. Oh yeah, and:

_Disclaimer: Everything except a few minor characters and the plot belongs solely to JK Rowling; full credit to her genius. I, sadly, make no profit from this whatsoever. _

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Roses Are Red<strong>

_First Year_

Rose Weasley sat on the Hogwarts train for the first time of her life, fidgeting nervously with a strand of her long auburn hair. Albus Potter sat across from her, looking as wretched as she felt. He couldn't sit still, and kept removing his glasses and polishing them, then repeating the movements as if in a trance.

"Albus, you shouldn't worry, I'm sure you won't be in Slytherin," Rose told him in what she presumed to be a comforting manner. She shot him a warm smile but to her surprise her cousin looked at her fiercely, his eyes flashing.

"And so what if I am?" he challenged. "What if I want to be in Slytherin?"

"I – " Rose was at a loss for words. Hadn't he been jumping up and down denying the possibility of becoming a Slytherin just moments ago, in front of everyone? Had he gone temporarily insane? "Well I…"

"Gee, sorry Rose," Albus said, his eyes softening as he watched her flounder. "I didn't mean to snap. I just…don't think it would be that bad." He lifted his chin proudly. "Severus Snape was in Slytherin, and he was one of the bravest men Dad knew."

"What's that about Slytherin?" came a voice next to them. Both Albus and Rose jumped and turned their heads; neither had noticed the figure standing in the doorway to their compartment. He had a proud, handsome face, framed with a shock of white-blonde hair and penetrating grey eyes. Rose recognised him instantly as Scorpius Malfoy, and her head rang with her father's words.

"Nothing," she said stiffly, turning away. But Albus didn't seem to share her sentiments. He shifted over and gestured for Scorpius to join them. The young wizard did so, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm thinking it wouldn't be so bad to be in Slytherin," Albus explained. "I mean, my whole family's in Gryffindor, so that's where I'd probably end up, but still…"

"Well, my whole family's from Slytherin," said Scorpius. He shot an uncertain glance at Rose.

"Yeah, and they're a perfect example of why Slytherin is the worst House in Hogwarts," she said unkindly.

"Rose!" Albus gave her a reproaching look.

"Well it's true," she shot back. "_His _kind are no good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll leave the two of you to your pureblood love-fest!" With as much dignity as she could muster, she stood up and swept herself out of the compartment.

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><p>If there was one downside to being a Weasley, Rose thought sourly, it was having to wait until the very end of the any line she happened to be in; currently, it was being one of the last to be sorted. She had never been a patient girl, and this was simply unbearable. She watched as the thoroughly unpleasant looking Ivy Lestrange sat herself on the stall. The Sorting Hat had barely touched her head when a loud bellow echoed around the Great Hall: 'SLYTHERIN.' Rose's lip curled. Well of course, anyone could have predicted that outcome a mile away.<p>

Soon after, Professor Longbottom, who was reading from a long list of names, called forward Scorpius. He held himself like the arrogant prat that he was on his way to the centre. Rose had to resist the urge to roll her eyes; it was only a formality, after all. Half a second later and he would be sorted into Slytherin.

But it took a lot longer than half a second. Scorpius sat there for what felt like forever, as the silence seemed to settle on the waiting crowd. The Malfoy name was almost as famous as Potter in the wizarding world, and there were plenty of students in the Great Hall straining to get a better look at Draco's son. Rose, who had heard stories of the Sorting Hat from her parents, wondered what it could possibly be saying to him. Her brow wrinkled as she stared at the straight backed young boy.

Finally, just as the students were becoming restless and whispering had broken out, the hat's mouth opened and it said, although in a much quieter voice than normal, 'Slytherin.' Scorpius pulled off the hat and stumbled, white-faced, over to his table, where he was received with much applause.

Rose didn't have time to dwell on the strangeness of it, for in moments it was Albus' turn to be sorted. And if she thought the Sorting Hat took a long time with Scorpius, it was nothing to how long it took with Albus. If Rose hadn't seen Pillia Patil sorted into Hufflepuff within seconds before her cousin, she would have sworn it was malfunctioning. The Great Hall was deathly quiet; even the teachers seemed intent upon the small figure of Albus, head covered by the Sorting Hat. As the son of Harry and Ginny Potter, it had been almost assured that Albus would be in Gryffindor. After all, it had taken only seconds for James to be sorted into his parents' house. But Albus seemed to be different. Rose watched her cousin with a growing sense of dread.

When the call came, it barely surprised her. But the shock around the Hall was palpable. Even the Slytherins seemed too stunned to cheer for their new recruit. Rose saw Scorpius with a grin on his face, but he was the only one. Several of the older Slytherins were muttering darkly to themselves. Eventually a smattering of applause broke out, and Albus made his way to the opposite side of the room than the rest of his family. Rose could see James, his face slack and blank as if he had been thumped by a bludger, and her heart went out to him. She knew that despite his teasing, James loved Albus dearly. It would be hard for him to have a brother in Slytherin.

Rose was so numb with the shock of it all she nearly missed her own name being called, which was a first. Stumbling forward, she thrust the hat over her head, not really sure what to expect. A deep, melodious voice rang inside her mind, speaking only to her.

"Ah, another Weasley. You certainly seem to have unlimited supplies."

"Are you going to put me in Slytherin like Albus?" she asked, not caring for small talk with a hat.

"You? Hmm, no, no I don't think so. You're too much of a Weasley for that. But I think you'll find yourself inexplicably tied to that house from here on in. For now, though, it'll have to be – GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was shouted to the entire room.

Rose took her seat amidst raucous applause by the Gryffindors. She couldn't look at Albus. This was all wrong; they were supposed to be in the same House. James slapped her on the shoulder and ruffled her hair as she slid in beside him, but she barely noticed. Suddenly seven years at Hogwarts seemed like a very, very long time.

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><p>Albus caught up with her in the Entrance Hall after the feast. His face was sharp with excitement and defiance. By his side was Scorpius Malfoy, and Rose found herself overwhelmed by a deep hatred for him that had nothing at all to do with who his father was.<p>

"Happy now?" she spat at him, knowing she was being unfair but not really caring. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Rose," began Albus tentatively. "We can still hang out, you know that right? We'll always be best friends; a stupid House difference doesn't change that."

"Oh doesn't it?" she rounded on her cousin, feeling slightly hysterical. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. In the background she could hear the Gryffindor Prefects calling for all first years to follow them. It hit her like a sucker-punch that Albus would not be coming with her. "I have to go. Enjoy your first night in _Slytherin._" And, for the second time that day, she spun on her heel and left both Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy staring after her with open mouths.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Updating early…because I'm going on holidays . Happy Easter everyone! _

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><p><em>Second Year<em>

It was a fine autumn day as Rose made her way across the grounds of Hogwarts towards the Quidditch Pitch. She was slightly reluctant; Quidditch was certainly not her favourite pastime; it wasn't even in the top five. While her father and brother had an interest that bordered on obsession, Rose, like her mother, tended to cultivate a respectable indifference; and yet here she was, devoting her afternoon to the sport. Because she had promised, way back in the summer holidays when school seemed a long way away, that she would accompany Albus for try-outs when the time came. As a second year, he was entitled to compete for a spot on the Slytherin team, and he had sworn not to waste any time in gaining a position. Rose's smile faltered somewhat at the thought of him competing against Gryffindor and her cousins, James and Fred, who were Chaser and Beater respectively, but she squared her shoulders and walked on.

It had taken her a long time to come around to the idea of Albus as a Slytherin. For the first few months after their sorting, Rose had held onto the thin hope that perhaps there had been some kind of mistake, and Albus would be resorted into his rightful House, Gryffindor. Or perhaps he would hate it so much in Slytherin that he would go to the Headmistress and beg for a swap. Rose would, of course, welcome him back with open arms. But such an event never occurred. Rather, Albus seemed to settle in comfortably, content to forge a new identity for himself outside of the shadow of his father and brother. By his side the entire time was Scorpius Malfoy; the two had become inseparable, best of friends, much to Rose and the rest of the family's dismay.

When it began to dawn on her that Albus wasn't going to come crawling back, Rose had tried the well-worn technique of the cold shoulder. For several weeks she hadn't even looked his way in class, and had sped up whenever he tried to approach her in the corridors. But after a while she abandoned this plan as a failure, for it achieved little but to make her miserable and deprive herself of Albus' company. And so, they had reached an uneasy truce. Rose tolerated his Slytherin-ness, and in return they went back to being best friends.

With a small catch. The presence of Scorpius, ever Albus' double, was a constant thorn in her side. It quickly became apparent that the price of her cousin's friendship was going to be regular interaction with Malfoy, something Rose found hard to accept. She felt somewhat like she was betraying her father by spending so much time around the son of his arch nemesis. To rectify this, she adopted a policy of ignoring Scorpius entirely, as if he simply wasn't there, which proved quite successful. This angered Albus, and several arguments ensued, although as Rose pointed out, Scorpius didn't seem particularly perturbed by her attitude, and in the end that was all that mattered. Albus had eventually given up on trying to get his two best friends to talk, and so spent a lot of time juggling conversations between them. Rose would have felt sorry for him, but then he had brought it on himself by being sorted into Slytherin and making everything difficult, hadn't he?

The sound of laughter jerked her out of her thoughts and Rose realised with surprise that she had nearly wandered onto the pitch in her daydreaming. It was only the excited chatter of a few would-be Quidditch stars that finally got her attention. A little way away she spotted Albus, looking like a younger version of his father, his dark hair vivid against the green of his robes and pallor of his skin. He was tossing his broom from side to side, nervously. Beside him, as ever, was Scorpius Malfoy, his blonde hair windswept and messy. He looked up as she approached, an unfathomable expression on his face.

"Good luck Al," Rose said brightly, pointedly ignoring his companion. "When do they start?"

"Soon," her cousin gave her a small smile. "We'll go up in pairs to catch the snitch, and every time the loser gets eliminated, until there's only one left." He glanced sideways at Scorpius, who was staring off into the distance, looking bored. "Pretty tough competition this year."

"Hardly," she drawled, then blushed. Scorpius' eyes had snapped to her like magnets, and there was an intense defiance in their steely greyness that unsettled her. She couldn't help but feel like she had just issued him with a challenge he was determined to meet.

Albus was looking at her with a troubled expression. "Yeah, well, we'll see. James is up in the stands too if you want to sit with him."

"Okay, good luck," she pecked Albus on the cheek and turned away, feeling a little ashamed of herself. That had been a low blow, and she had a feeling her mother would be disappointed in her if she heard it.

"Heya Rosie," grinned James when she reached him. His eyes were narrowed on the players down below. "Pretty good turn-out this year, I reckon Slytherin might end up with a half-decent squad. Technically I'm not supposed to be here, what with being on the Gryffindor team and all, but I asked Flint for an exemption, cause of Albus, and he said it was okay."

Rose was hardly listening to him, watching the small figures of Albus and Scorpius down below. They appeared to be deep in discussion about something, and she had to swallow the ball of resentment that welled inside her.

"Be interesting to see Malfoy fly as well," something James was saying caught her attention and she looked at him. "Heard he's not half bad. And of course, our Dads were rival Seekers, back in the day."

"Yeah, but your Dad didn't have to bribe his way onto the team. His did," she hadn't meant to sound so catty. James raised his eyebrows at her.

"Sheesh Rose, I was just trying to pay the guy a compliment. Sometimes I forget what a little Gryffindor you are," he ruffled her hair as if this was a good thing, and she forced a smile.

There was indeed quite a lot of competition. Rose found it hard to believe that this many people were interested in playing Seeker for Slytherin. Admittedly, some of them were terrible. Albus' first opponent almost fell of his broom chasing what turned out to be a butterfly, and a ridiculously tiny third-year had to be taken back to the castle after he ran straight into a goalpost. But mostly they were good, and Rose was hard put at times to keep up with them. Albus was particularly skilful, although James by her side kept muttering about his turning. So too, she reluctantly admitted, was Scorpius.

"Wow, that kid can really fly," whistled James, as Scorpius completed a difficult dive and pulled out just at the last minute, the golden snitch clutched in his fist. The burly sixth year he was paired against kicked out wildly at the air, clearly furious at being beaten by a scrawny kid. "Albus'd better watch out, he's got some tough competition."

Rose blushed, thinking of her thoughtless comment earlier. Eventually the crowd of competitors was whittled down, Albus very narrowly defeating his last opponent and Scorpius covered in mud from a rather desperate nose dive, until the two second years, much to the astonishment of the spectators, were the only two contenders left. Still, no one could say they didn't deserve it. The Quidditch Referee, Madam Howler, directed the two boys to shake hands, which they did, exchanging crooked grins and a few words Rose would have liked to overhear. The air around the ground tensed noticeably as they readied themselves to fly, and even Rose found herself getting excited. Several of the more fancied Slytherin competitors were staying behind to watch and there were a fair number of neutrals in the stands as well; Rose even heard a couple of bets being placed on who would emerge victorious.

"There'll be a bludger too, see Rosie," said James, pointing to the ground where Madam Howler was preparing to release one of the fearsome balls. "And they get a Beater each. Now, this _should_ be interesting."

A shrill whistle pierced the air, and Madam Howler stepped back, releasing both the bludger and the snitch. Albus and Scorpius pushed off from the ground together, their robes billowing around them, eyes peering into the afternoon light in search of a glint of gold. Rose chewed her fingernail.

She wasn't sure if it was because they were using a faster snitch, or the bludger was interfering with their efforts, or they were just particularly adept at blocking one another's movements, but neither boy seemed able to spot the snitch. Now and again one of them would jerk forward as if he spotted something, but either it would be a false alarm, or the other would get in the way and distract them long enough for the snitch to be lost again. At the same time, the bludger charged between them, harassing them. More than once Scorpius was forced to perform a difficult mid-air manoeuvre in order to avoid being flattened. Rose thought his Beater, a sullen looking boy she didn't recognise, was quite a lot more incompetent than Albus', who had barely had to worry about the bludger at all. Scorpius seemed to share her opinion, for after hanging upside down and nearly getting his head taken off, she saw him yelling angrily in the direction of his Beater, half a pitch away.

Then, mid-yell, Scorpius' face changed. He was high above them, but Rose could clearly see the wild look of excitement which flashed in his eyes. He had seen the snitch, and the look of determination on his face told her that this time he was going for it.

She opened her mouth to cry out to Albus, but James put a hand on her arm. "Don't Rose," he said. "Let them do it by themselves." She nodded and bit her lip instead.

Scorpius hurtled towards the snitch, moving so quickly through the air he was nothing but a blur of green. Below him, Albus noticed and began speeding in the same direction. As he had been in a better position to start with, he was not all that disadvantaged by Malfoy's head start. The two of them were practically neck and neck, hurtling so fast towards the stands Rose was sure they were going to crash. Yet she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Then, at the last minute, just when Rose was about to duck her head into James shoulder, unable to watch her cousin injure himself, Albus yanked his broom upwards with a violent tug, missing the collision by a hair's breadth. Scorpius, however, charged toward the stands as if he didn't see them, and Rose just had time to see a glint of gold disappear inside his fist, before he collided against the side of the podium at full speed, barely managing to turn enough to shield his face from the impact. There was a sickening crunch, and bits of splintered wood and torn fabric exploded into the air around him. Clinging to his broom with one hand, Scorpius wobbled slowly toward the ground, his left arm hanging uselessly out of its socket. He landed on his knees in the mud, white faced and shaking, but Rose saw a triumphant grin plastered on his face nonetheless.

"I got it," he declared, his voice travelling up to where she and James sat in shock, trying to process what had just happened. Albus landed next to his friend, his face a mixture of disappointment and concern. "I caught the snitch."

Then, still grinning like a madman, he collapsed face first into the mud.

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><p><em>AN: This chapter is a little top-heavy on information, but I'm just trying to set the scene for the rest of the story, so bear with it. Also, for reference, James Potter and Fred Weasley are both in the year above Albus, Rose and Scorpius. I.e. They're in 3__rd__ year in this chapter. _

_Let me know what you think. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Third Year_

Rose loved having dinner with the Potters. There was something warm and wholesome about their house, with its wooden interior and squashy armchairs, that made her feel peaceful and at ease. Then there was the fun of spending time with her cousins; as much as Rose loved Hugo, he was only eleven and still a baby as far as she was concerned. She got along much better with Albus and James, and she could talk about school stuff with them as well. All Hugo ever wanted to talk about was the Chudley Cannons.

At the moment they were in the middle of eating, and Rose was feeling satisfyingly full of Sunday roast. Not that she would ever tell her mother, but an extra perk of coming to the Potters was getting to eat her Aunt Ginny's cooking. Preparing food was about the only thing Hermione Granger had never quite mastered. That, and flying.

"So," said Harry, his warm green eyes scanning the children seated around him. "Now that Christmas is over you must all be excited to get back to studying, hey?"

There was a collective groan around the table.

"No way," muttered James. He speared spitefully into a potato. "I intend to make these next two weeks count."

"You'll be taking your OWLs soon, won't you James?" asked Hermione. "Ah, I remember my OWLs, such fun."

Rose rolled her eyes. She hoped her mother wasn't going to start daydreaming about her exams again.

"Feel free to take mine for me if you want," James said to Hermione, who chuckled.

"Oh, you'll be fine. And Lily and Hugo have their first exams this year too. And Albus and Rose, you'll be studying hard as well of course. My, it will be a busy time, won't it?" There was the faintest hint of envy in Hermione's voice.

"Er-my-nee's alweady wishin she wa' ba' dere," mumbled Ron, his mouth full of food.

"Ron, don't talk with your mouth full!"

"Di-n't."

"Ronald! You're setting a bad example to the children!" Hermione shot him a look and Ron swallowed guiltily.

"Third year?" said Harry suddenly, startling them. Rose saw him glance at Ron and Hermione; the three friends shared a look, as if remembering a common memory. "Time sure flies."

"Tell me about it," said Ron mournfully, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Those were the days. Remember Hermione taking too many classes, and needing to use that – what was it called?"

"Time-Turner."

"Yeah, needing to use the 'Time-Turner' every single day." Ron shook his head. "You'd just keep disappearing and then reappearing somewhere else. Made you do strange things too, like storm out on Professor Trelawney." Rose raised her eyebrows, unable to envisage a scenario where her mother left class voluntarily. "And – the look on Malfoy's face when you punched him!"

There was a sudden clatter. Albus had knocked his knife off the table. While he was ducking down to retrieve it, the four adults shared a meaningful look.

"And – and that was the year Gryffindor finally won the Cup," Ginny said, clearly fishing for a different topic. "Wood was so pleased."

"Only after Malfoy tried to grab hold of your broom though, little cheat," muttered Ron. Hermione hissed at him, and he reddened.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Rose looked from one adult to the other. She knew they were avoiding talk of Draco Malfoy for Albus' sake. It had been such a huge shock when he was sorted into Slytherin, but everyone was trying to be as positive as possible about it. That included not badmouthing any Slytherins, which Ron in particular found difficult to accept.

"Dad," came Albus' voice after a while, sounding very uncertain.

"Yes son."

"Third year was the year you found out about Sirius Black, wasn't it?"

The air around the table suddenly tensed, and Rose leaned forward, eyes keened on her uncle. They didn't often speak of Sirius; he had died when her parents were still in school, and she knew they didn't like to talk about it. She wondered why Albus had brought him up, until she heard his next words.

"Sirius was a – a pureblood, wasn't he?"

Harry looked a little surprised, but nodded. "Yes he was."

"And – and his whole family were in Slytherin, weren't they?" Rose, who had by now latched on to Albus' train of thought, was glaring furiously at her cousin. But he ignored her. He seemed determined to finish now that he had started. And he had the whole table's attention. Even Lily and Hugo had looked up from their own whispered conversation.

"That's right. Sirius was the first of his family to be sorted into Gryffindor," Harry patted his son's shoulder. "Not that there's anything wrong with being in Slytherin."

"So…Sirius Black is proof that you shouldn't judge someone only by their family, right Dad?"

"Oh for Merlin's sake Albus!" Ginny put down her knife and fork and stared sternly at her son. "Spit it out, would you?"

Albus lifted his chin. "I was wondering if Scorpius Malfoy could come and stay with us these holidays?"

There was a stunned reaction to his words. Ron choked on the wine he was drinking, spraying his plate with crimson droplets. Hermione rushed to pat him on the back, eyebrows raised into her hairline. Harry and Ginny looked at each other. Blank surprise was written all over their faces. Although they knew Albus and Scorpius were in the same House, nobody had told them just how close the pair had become during their two and a half years at Hogwarts. Inseparable, many of the teachers described them, but that hadn't yet translated back to the Potter household. Rose rolled her eyes; of course he had to ask his parents while _she _was there. Well, if he thought she was going to stick up for his unfortunate choice of friends, he had another thing coming.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" Ron had recovered from his coughing fit and was now staring at Albus as if he had gone mad. "As in, Draco Malfoy's son?"

Albus nodded.

"But – why would you – what – _friends?_" her father seemed incapable of proper communication.

"Oh hush Ron," said Hermione. "I think it's wonderful that the two of you get along Albus. Although I do wonder – " she broke off, and glanced at Harry. "It's just, well, what would his father say about Scorpius coming here?"

"Probably disown him," said Ron darkly. "Fraternising with the enemy, and all that."

"Scorpius said it would be fine," Albus retorted, his cheeks pink. "He's already asked his parents and they said it would be okay, as long as you agreed. And you do agree, don't you?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged nervous glances.

"You have to understand, Albus, that it's very difficult for us. His father – "

"But Scorpius isn't like his father. And besides, I bet Draco's not that bad."

Ron seemed to be having trouble breathing. "Not that bad…not that bad…"

"What do you think James?" Harry looked to his eldest son. James had been glowering into his plate all through the conversation. "You've met Scorpius Malfoy. What's he like?"

James looked between his father and brother. "Well…he's a bit of an arrogant twerp if you ask me." Albus' face fell. "But…" he shrugged painfully. "I suppose he's not _that _bad." Albus grinned.

"Rose?" she blinked and looked at her father. Ron was giving her a piercing look. "What about you? You're in the same year, what do you think?"

"I – well, I –" she looked at Albus and saw the plea in his eyes. It made her angry. This wasn't how things were meant to be. She and Albus had grown up together, they were best friends, cousins…they were _supposed _to be fellow Gryffindors. Why did he have to go and screw everything up? "I…" What could she honestly say about Scorpius Malfoy? Even though she hung out with Albus all the time, and he was almost always there with them, Rose had hardly spoken five words to him since the day of their sorting. In general she just pretended he didn't exist, and he did likewise. "I…think he's a typical Slytherin."

"Rose!" Hermione looked scandalised at her daughter's response, but her father grinned and ruffled her hair. Albus was staring at her as if she had committed a sin of ultimate betrayal. She bit her lip and focused on her plate.

There was a long silence, punctuated by the sounds of eating. Then Lily spoke, in her childish sing-song voice. "I like Scorpius because he helped me when I was lost."

Everyone besides Rose laughed, and the tension in the air seemed to lift. "Well," said Harry. "That settles it, then. Albus, tell Scorpius he's welcome to come and stay."

"Thanks Dad," Albus slid out of his seat, beaming. "I'll go tell him straight away."

* * *

><p>The end of the Christmas break drew nearer, and, with no mention of visiting the Potters again, Rose began to think she would return to Hogwarts without actually seeing Scorpius. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Of course, she was glad not to have to interact with <em>him, <em>but she missed Albus. The two of them were usually inseparable during the holidays. And she didn't want her parents to think she couldn't handle it.

Then, four days before they were due to go back to school, Rose overheard her parents arguing in the kitchen. She froze mid-step, knowing instantly what they were talking about.

"…shouldn't force them," her dad was saying.

"Oh for heaven's sake Ron, it's just dinner. No one's forcing them to do anything. Besides, it'll be good for Rose and Hugo, and I know Albus would appreciate it. It must be hard for him, being the only one not in Gryffindor. The lease we could do is be nice to his friends."

"Percy's kids are in Ravenclaw, and you don't see us going round to have dinner with _their _friends," Ron's voice had the faint edge of clutching at straws.

"This is different and you know it!"

There was a heavy, begrudging sigh. "But it's _Malfoy._"

"No, Ron, it's Malfoy's _son. _Draco won't be there, and we don't have to have anything to do with his family. It's not like we're being asked to go and dine at Malfoy Manor!" Hermione slammed the fridge door with more force than was strictly necessary, and there was a clatter as something fell off a shelf.

"Well…" Ron was clearly wavering. "If he says anything to you or the kids…"

"Ginny says he's been nothing but the pinnacle of good manners since he got there. Come on darling, it'll be fine."

There was a short silence. "Fine," Rose could almost see her father conceding defeat. "I suppose one dinner won't kill us."

"That's my man."

Grimacing, Rose hurried up the stairs before she had to endure the sound of her parents kissing.

* * *

><p>Dinner was going smoothly enough. There had been a few awkward moments, mostly caused by Ron, but in general the conversation flowed easily and everyone seemed in pretty good spirits. Even her dad didn't seem too perturbed by it all, although he was certainly more uptight than usual.<p>

Rose was watching Scorpius closely out of the corner of her eye while she picked at her meal. He seemed comfortable enough, and friendly, and altogether normal, but she was sure he was up to something. Once or twice he glanced up and caught her gaze, causing her to scowl and look down at her plate. But mostly he just chatted with Albus, or answered the grown-ups' questions. On the opposite side of the table, Lily was sending shy smiles in his direction every few minutes, and giggling whenever she was involved in the conversation. Rose rolled her eyes. It was ludicrous; he was just a boy, not some kind of mythical god that had apparated in front of them? And he wasn't even _that _handsome.

"So…what Quidditch team do you support Mal-Scorpius?" asked Ron after a long silence during which Hermione had been giving her husband not so subtle hints to make small talk.

"Falmouth Falcons," answered Scorpius with a grin. "My family's followed them for centuries."

Both Ron and Hugo turned an odd puce colour, while Ginny smiled wickedly.

"Oh, that's nice," she said in a sickly sweet voice, still eyeing her brother. He returned her gaze viciously. "They won on the weekend too, didn't they?"

"Mm-hmm," Scorpius nodded, oblivious to Ron's reaction. "Thrashed the Chudley Cannons, 700 – 0. Mind you, we always thrash the Cannons. I don't think they've lost by under 150 points against us for –"

"Arghgahdabogoda!" shouted Ron suddenly, startling everyone.

"Sorry?" Scorpius eyed Ron as if he had sprouted another limb. "I – uh – didn't catch that."

"What-what department did you say your father worked in?" asked Hermione hurriedly, before Ron could recover. Rose was sure she already knew the answer.

Scorpius looked disappointed in the change of topic, but merely shrugged and answered, "Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Law Enforcement," snorted Ron, his skin shade returning to normal. "That's ironic." There was a dull thud as Hermione kicked him under the table.

"And his mother's a lead designer for Abbot & Rem's in London," Ginny told Hermione, whose eyes widened in a sort of suppressed glee. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at each other. Abbot & Rem was a high end boutique clothing store famous with the upper crust of wizarding society. Rose had never even been in one of their stores.

"And how _is_ your father these days?" asked Ron with a twisted smile. "Old Draco, eh? Who would've thought?"

"He's well," Scorpius either didn't notice Ron's strange tone or chose to ignore it. "Although I think sometimes he gets a little lonely. With the death of Grandfather – "

"Lucius?" Harry interrupted sharply. "Lucius is dead?"

"Yes, he died just three months ago," his voice tightened, as if the memory were painful to him. Well, thought Rose spitefully, he would be close to his grandfather, wouldn't he? His murdering, treacherous, blood purist grandfather…

"Where?" asked Ron a little bullishly.

"At home, at Malfoy Manor" Scorpius' jaw stiffened imperceptibly. Ron's insinuation had not been lost on him. "So it's been hard for Father, and for Grandma." He shifted in his seat. "Dad always wanted more children, but Mum said it would ruin her figure. It's tradition anyway, so…"

Ginny was looking at Scorpius with such sympathy it made Rose want to puke. "It must be hard, without any brothers or sisters?"

"Not that there's anything wrong with being an only child," said Hermione primly. Ginny pursed her lips.

"Well, it's been a real pleasure having you here Scorpius," said Harry, breaking the sudden tension. "And you're more than welcome back. I wasn't sure at first, but you've certainly lived up to Albus' recommendation."

"Thank you sir," Scorpius smiled. He looked different somehow, almost younger, when he did. "My father told me once that you're the bravest man he ever knew, and I think he's probably right."

There was a stunned silence. Even Ron seemed lost for words, while Hermione's eyes had filled with tears. Albus muttered something to Scorpius and the two of them stood up. "We're going to go outside for a bit." He looked at Rose. "Coming?"

Acutely aware of all the eyes on her, Rose nodded stiffly, slid out of her chair, and followed the two boys outside.

"Can I go too mum?" she heard Lily ask behind her.

"You finish your dinner," snapped Ginny.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Let me know what you think. Cheers!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Happy Mother's Day everyone! This chapter's a bit longer :)_

* * *

><p><em>Fourth Year<em>

Rose scrunched up her nose in concentration, her quill scribbling across the parchment in a series of complicated patterns. In truth, Ancient Runes was not one of her favourite subjects. But that didn't meant she wasn't going to try and come top of the class anyway. Which she probably would, unless…

Despite herself, Rose shot a glance behind her under the ruse of adjusting her chair. Sure enough, Scorpius Malfoy was still sitting there, head buried in the same book he had been reading for hours. Rose didn't understand it; since when did Scorpius come and study alone in the library all day? Without Albus? It irritated her, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on her own work. She was sure Scorpius was here studying for the upcoming Runes test. Obviously he was determined to beat her. Well, thought Rose, her tongue poking out from between her teeth as she resumed her work, she would just have to see about that.

Several hours later, Rose sat back in her chair with a satisfied grin. For the fifth time in a row, she had managed to remember every week's lesson since the start of the year, without a single mistake. She gave her red hair a satisfied rumple. If that didn't prepare her for the upcoming test, then nothing would.

A huge yawn escaped her, and her belly rumbled, reminding her that it was nearly dinner time. Rose packed up her parchment, quills and ink, returned the book she had been using to its shelf, bid the hawk-like librarian Madam Beauvoir goodbye (a sentiment the elderly witch did not return), and exited the library. If she was quick, she had just enough time to deposit her study materials back in her dorm room and straighten herself out before heading to the Great Hall for –

"Rose."

She spun around at the sound of her name. None other than Scorpius Malfoy stood behind her, his bag slung casually over one shoulder, having clearly just left the library himself. Well, he had impeccable timing.

"Malfoy," she nodded curtly in greeting, then turned to go. But to her surprise, he fell into step beside her. The _nerve _of the guy.

"Studying for the Runes test in there?" he asked her conversationally, as if this wasn't the first thing he had said to her in over a year; as if it was in fact completely normal for him to accost her in the corridor for casual chitchat. She nodded. Had Albus put him up to this? It was the sort of stunt her cousin would pull, Rose thought. She would have to talk to him about that later.

"You study a lot, huh?"

"Mm-hmm," she mumbled non-committedly.

"But I'll still beat you."

"Excuse me?" she rounded on him like a snarling tiger. "And what makes you think that?"

Scorpius smirked. "Only the fact that I've beaten you in every test so far this year."

"You – I – that's," she spluttered, her face beet red with indignity. Her hand itched to hex the smug look off of his face. The most damning part of it was that he was right. He _had _beaten her in all their Runes tests so far. Rose grit her teeth.

"It's okay, you know," he said, clearly enjoying her outrage. "To be second best. Not everyone can be as naturally brilliant as me," he looked as if he was expecting a pat on the back. "You're still pretty good, for a Weasley."

"Ugh, you insufferable _pig_!" she restrained herself from hitting him with an effort, and settled instead for stamping her foot petulantly. Scorpius looked a little taken aback by her anger.

"Whoa whoa whoa," he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. She merely glared at him, huffing in irritation, and wondering why she didn't just turn around and tell him to get lost. She was late for dinner as it was. "I was only joking! No need to blow a fuse."

She sniffed haughtily. "Yes, well, I'm afraid your sense of humour is sorely misplaced."

"You going to the Yule Ball?" he asked, changing subject so abruptly Rose had to think a minute about what he was on about. Yule Ball? Well of course, she had hardly thought about it since Professor McGonagall informed them all during dinner earlier in the year. The infamous Triwizard Tournament, due to be held at Hogwarts that year, had been called off after a teacher was found murdered at Durmstrang. But the respective schools had decided to continue with the Ball, for the students' sake. Personally, Rose was more intrigued by the murder than the dance, but she couldn't really expect the rest of the school body to share that opinion, and she wasn't yet old enough to have a say. Doing a quick calculation in her head, she realised there were only three weeks left until the big night. Time sure seemed to fly at Hogwarts.

"Rose?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her, and she jerked herself back to the present.

"Yes," she said lamely. "Yes I'm going."

"Gotta date?" They had stopped walking, and were standing in the middle of the corridor, staring at each other. For the first time Rose noticed how much taller than her Scorpius was. He had shot up since last year.

"What?"

Scorpius gave a dramatic sigh. "Little deaf are we? I said do you have a date for the Ball?"

"I – " this had to be the strangest conversation she had had in quite some time. What was it to him? She flushed a little. "No."

"I didn't think so," he smirked again, and Rose felt her blood boil.

"What, you think I can't get a date?" Her eyes stung with his insinuation, and she wanted more than anything to prove him wrong. But it was true; no one _had_ asked her to the ball.

His smile faltered. "No, that's not what I– "

"Is there a_ point _to this conversation Malfoy?" she snapped acidly. "Because I have better places to be."

He took a deep breath, and seemed to square his shoulders. Was she imaging it, or was there a faint pinkness to his cheeks that hadn't been there a moment ago? "I…was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

Rose gaped at him in the ensuing silence, positive that she had misheard him. Either that, or this had to be Albus' idea of a prank. There was no other explanation for this strange and most unexpected outburst.

There was a long, awkward silence. "You could say something, you know," Scorpius prompted quietly.

But what could she say? She still wasn't sure if he wasn't playing a game with her. "Is this a joke?" she asked him, her voice harsher than she intended. Moments ago he had been insulting her intelligence and implying she was unattractive, and now he was asking her to the Ball? It didn't make sense. "Are you having me on?"

"No," Scorpius chewed his bottom lip. "I mean, you're not the prettiest girl I could take," his eyes swept her up and down critically. "And you're a Gryffindor as well_, _which is unfortunate. And, well, you're quite a bossy know-it-all," he ran a hand through his messy blonde hair and shook his head with a rueful smile. "But for some reason I can't seem to stop think – " he stopped abruptly when he caught sight of her face. "What?"

Rose was speechless. She didn't know quite what was going on. But what she did know was that Scorpius Malfoy – Scorpius _Malfoy – _was standing in front of her, cocky and conceited, insulting her and her family as if it was nothing, and then apparently expecting her to go to a dance with him. A sudden desire to hurt him rushed through her.

Scorpius' face was wary now, as if he knew he had said too much. "So…will you go with me?"

Her eyes blazed. "Don't be ridiculous," she tossed at him angrily. "Why would I _ever _go to the Ball with – with someone like you? You're a – a – a _Malfoy_!"

The air between them plunged to freezing in a matter of seconds. There was a brief flash of shock and hurt in Scorpius' grey eyes before a deep, hard chill settled there, his face as blank as sculpted marble, all emotion wiped away. Rose felt a wave of guilt wash through her. That hadn't felt as good as she thought it might.

"I see," he said, lips twisting in a sort of grimace. He wasn't looking at her, but instead gazed at a point on the wall behind her. "How foolish of me. I'm so sorry to have bothered you." And he pushed past her roughly, his tall, proud figure stalking away up the corridor, black robes billowing behind him.

Rose took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. She had done the right thing, she told herself. He had deserved that response, with his arrogance and his egotism. It was what her father would have wanted her to say. What he would have _expected _her to say. Why, then, did she feel so utterly miserable?

* * *

><p>She almost didn't go. It was only Lorcan Scamander, her shy, quiet Ravenclaw friend, asking her two days before if she would go with him, that persuaded her to attend. And she was only doing it for him.<p>

Rose had never been much of a fan for dressing up, and this was no exception. She sat in the dormitory as the other girls around her fussed with their hair and make-up, wearing a simple white dress, her hair down and in its normal shape. Reluctantly, she allowed her cousin Dominique to apply a little mascara and lip gloss before shooing her away. Dom had more than enough to do for herself; she was going with Calvin Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, and so would be opening the dancing. She needed to look beautiful. Rose, had no one to impress.

She met Lorcan at the bottom of the stairs. He blushed and mumbled something when he saw her, taking her hand in his own. Rose grinned a little. She felt comfortable around Lorcan. She knew he didn't like her, didn't like _any _girl in fact, in such a way that would make their relationship awkward. If only she could say the same for his twin…

"Rosie!" Lysander barrelled into her on his way past, his arm looped through a giggling girl Rose didn't recognise. He already seemed tipsy. "Gonna take good care of my little brother are you?" Even though they were twins, Lysander had always referred to Lorcan as his younger brother. "You know he gets a little bit _queer _if he has too much to drink." With a smile that wasn't quite genuine, Lysander carried on loudly up the corridor. Rose sighed and patted Lorcan's hand, but he merely shrugged and guided her down the corridor as if nothing had happened.

They were late, intentionally, so the place was already packed when they got there. Rose paused a moment at the entrance to admire the splendour. The Hall had been decorated with its usual twelve bewitched Christmas trees and various magical decorations, including the emblems and colours of the four Houses and a flock of rather dazed looking pixies. A large stage had been erected where the teachers normally sat, and the popular band 'Owls of Ottery' were already performing loudly. Rose scanned the crowd, picking out members of her family. She could see James, dancing flirtatiously with his semi-girlfriend Tuli, a gorgeous girl with a mane of raven curls. Dominique was looking angel-like in the arms of her date, and in the middle of the floor Fred and his sister Roxy were engaged in an impromptu battle of limbo. Rose chuckled; it was strange, how much Fred had turned out like the uncle he was named after. At least, how he had been described to her. Rose had never got to meet her Uncle Fred, but if he was anything like George, she would very much have liked to.

Her eyes continued to flit around the room. Suddenly the smile froze on her lips. Against the far side of the wall, she could see two couples. Albus, chatting idly to a Hufflepuff girl named Sethie, whom Rose had never spoken to. And beside him, in dress robes of deepest black, Scorpius Malfoy, his pale blonde hair swept back from his forehead, the proud expression on his face making him look for all the world like a prince from an ancient tale.

The girl hanging on his arm was no less stunning. Rose felt an inexplicable pang in her gut as she took in the long, silky green dress and cascade of golden hair. As Rose watched, Scorpius leant in and whispered something in the girl's ear, causing her to burst into peals of laughter. Rose looked away, not sure why she felt so much anguish. After all, it had been _she_ who said no to _him. _And quite rightly, too.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Lorcan said, before wandering off. Rose stood against the wall, trying not to fidget. She nodded to Professor Longbottom when he hurried past, and complimented Peoria Rallit, a Gryffindor girl in her year, on her outfit. After a while, Albus caught her eye and started walking over. His hair was as scruffy as ever, but he somehow managed to look well groomed despite it. The green of his tie matched perfectly with his eyes, and made her feel acutely aware of the clash between her own blue ones and the shock of red hair framing her face. Typical, effortless Albus.

"Hey," he said casually, throwing one arm over her shoulder and giving her a squeeze. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Rose rolled her eyes. "But I've only got Lorcan as a date, so it's all wasted."

Albus cocked his head to the side, examining her. Rose began to fidget. She wondered if Scorpius had mentioned any of their conversation to her cousin.

"It's Sethie, isn't it?" she asked. Albus nodded. "She looks nice. You should introduce me later.'

"Will do."

"Who's the – the girl with Scorpius?" she asked, trying with all her might to keep her voice neutral. But she had the sinking suspicion that Albus saw right through her.

"Arabella Yaxley. She's a fifth year Slytherin."

"Yaxley?" Rose narrowed her eyes in recognition. "Isn't that a Death Eater name?"

Albus was eyeing her warily. "Arabella's just a niece."

"Well, that explains why she came with Scorpius," Rose spat out dryly, forgetting for a moment who she was talking to. "They'll be a perfect match."

"Gosh Rose, why do you have to be such a bitch?" Rose stared at her best friend and cousin, mouth slack with shock. He had never spoken to her like that before, ever. Albus met her gaze defiantly. "Scorpius hasn't done anything to you, and neither has Arabella. Can't you look past a name for a change?" He turned and walked away.

"Al – wait!" she called after him, but he either didn't hear or chose to ignore her.

Not for the first time, Rose cursed her big mouth. She couldn't seem to open it without putting her foot straight down her throat. But honestly! It wasn't her fault that Albus chose to associate with people who had such poor family histories. She was perfectly entitled to judge, when they had the same blood running through their veins. And _everyone _knew what a prat Scorpius Malfoy was. Everyone except Albus, that was. Rose sighed. She had never felt so forlorn and confused in her life.

Lorcan returned a moment later with their drinks. He pushed one into her hand and gave her a sympathetic look. "Let's just have a good time tonight, you and me hey? Ignore everyone else and just have fun." He smiled at her, and she wanted to kiss him for his kindness.

"Alright," she said. Grabbing Lorcan's hand, she turned her back on Albus and Scorpius and their beautiful dates, and steered them in the other direction. Who needed them anyway?

* * *

><p>It was a week after Yule Ball and Rose was curled up in her bed reading <em>Witches Through the Ages <em>by Wilpena Worsmith. Outside, Hogwarts was glowing white after a night of heavy snowfall, and the only sign of life was the smoke curling upwards from Hagrid's cabin near the Forbidden Forest. Rose was feeling none of the cold, however; she had bewitched her blanket with a heating charm and was now wrapped in warmth and comfort.

To her left Rose heard the door to the rooms swing open. Looking up, she saw the honey-brown head of curls belonging to her roommate Daisy Hopkins. The other girl threw herself onto her bed, fluffed her pillow for several minutes, then turned dramatically to Rose.

"Guess what?" she exclaimed breathlessly. Rose had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes; Daisy was a sweet, vivacious girl who spent a lot of her time gossiping about other people or daydreaming about various pin-up wizards. As the daughter of Lavender Brown, Rose supposed she shouldn't be surprised. But at the moment she really wasn't in the mood.

"What?" Rose shut her book reluctantly; she wouldn't get much reading done until Daisy was finished.

"So, I was just talking to Malachy McLaggen," Daisy began with a giggle, as if this was big news in itself. Rose wasn't particularly impressed. "And I asked him why he took that Elaine Spinner girl from Ravenclaw to the Yule Ball because, you know, he could have done _so _much better."

Rose was inclined to disagree. Elaine Spinner was a lovely, quiet, studious girl, and in her opinion probably deserved better than the loud-mouthed Malachy for a whole night. But she couldn't muster the energy to move her tongue, so instead she merely shrugged her eyebrows in apparent interest.

"Yeah, and _he _said," Daisy continued enthusiastically. "That he had wanted to take _you, _Rose!"

"What?" Rose stared at her friend in disbelief.

"Yep," Daisy nodded her head with such vigour her curls bounced. "Imagine, you and Malachy at the Yule Ball, it would have been _too _gorgeous!"

"Well, why didn't he?" asked Rose, beginning to get annoyed. It didn't make any sense at all. Malachy was nice enough, if a little up himself, but in four years of classes together he hadn't ever given the impression of _liking _her as more than a casual friend. So why was he suddenly keen to take her on a date? And why hadn't he asked her? "I mean, I didn't have a date up until two days before." She swallowed the uncomfortable lump in her throat. "He could have asked me at any time, no one was stopping him."

"But that's just the thing!" Daisy's voice was so high pitched it was almost painful. She flapped her hands hysterically. "Someone was!"

Rose stared in confusion.

"Apparently," Daisy continued in a conciliatory tone, lowering her voice so abruptly Rose had to strain to hear her. "Scorpius Malfoy was spreading the word that Albus and James would beat up anyone who asked you." When Rose didn't say anything she hurried on. "And Malachy only found out because the kid who brought him the message got scared and said Scorpius had paid him to do it. Can you believe it?"

She couldn't. Rose eyed the girl opposite, trying to decide if Daisy had finally lost her grip on reality and progressed to spinning pure fiction. But it was obvious that the gossip queen had not simply made this up on her own. Rose scrunched up her face, her brain refusing to process her thoughts in a logical manner. It couldn't be true, could it? Why in the name of Merlin would Scorpius want to start a rumour like that? But even as her mind whirled with incredulity, she thought back to his smug face when she told him she didn't have a date yet. She had interpreted it at the time to mean he thought no one would ask her…but what if…

"Ugh," she put her head in her hands in disgust, well aware of Daisy's wide brown eyes watching her every move. "It must be some stupid joke," she muttered.

"But what I can't figure out," continued Daisy relentlessly. "Is whether Albus and James really did threaten that, or was it just Scorpius making it up? I mean, I can't see why he would, you know? Did you _see _the girl he took to the Yule Ball? She was stunning. No offense Rose, but I can't see how you could compete with that. Plus, everybody knows that Scorpius Malfoy would _never_ take a _Gryffindor _as his date. Puh-lease. He is Slytherin to the core. Did you hear what he said to Theresa Wood the other day? And in front of her boyfriend too!"

Rose chewed her lip as Daisy meandered off into other topics of conversation. It didn't seem possible that Albus and James had been the instigators of such a ridiculous rumour; Albus had never been very protective of her, at least not in that way. James, maybe, but he _certainly _wouldn't go through Scorpius, and Rose highly doubted he would be that dramatic about it. But then, it couldn't _possibly _have been Malfoy himself creating the rumours, could it? No, quite clearly there had been some kind of miscommunication between McLaggen and whomever he was talking to, and Daisy was just misinformed. Yes, that was all it was, a simple misunderstanding.

"Uh, Rose, have you been listening to what I've been saying?" asked Daisy, sounding a little offended.

"Of course," Rose fibbed, picking up _Witches Through the Ages _again. "It's just, I really need to get this finished. You know, extra reading and all that."

"Right," Daisy looked a little put out, but shrugged and fell silent nonetheless. After a while, she got up and left, clearly in search of better company, and Rose returned blissfully to her book. Though she couldn't help her mind wandering back to Scorpius Malfoy now and then…

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yeah, Rose is a bitch, I know! Don't forget they're still pretty young and nobody's perfect. Don't forget to review! _


	5. Chapter 5

_Fifth Year _

Rose was seated at the breakfast table, a book on Astronomy propped crookedly against the juice jug. She had been revising during breakfast for several weeks now. As a fifth year, she was required to sit her OWLS this year, and she was determined to get straight Os just like her mother. Since Hugo seemed to be increasingly resembling Ron is his studying habits, it had fallen to Rose to carry on the Granger intelligence. Not that she minded; she _liked _being the bookworm of the family.

"Can't you stop studying for even one minute?" moaned Dominique, plopping herself next to Rose with a loud thunk. Her blonde hair was dishevelled and there were dark circles under her eyes. Rose happened to know that her cousin had spent most of the night before snogging Calvin Davies in the Room of Requirement.

"No, I can't," she replied, spooning cereal into her mouth without taking her eyes off the page in front of her and trying to memorise the significance of Jupiter's twelve moons. "OWLS soon." Dom snorted and buried her face in her coffee.

In truth, Rose was studying even more than normal lately. It still burned in her gut to think of that _jerk _– her eyes flitted to the Slytherin table but she yanked them back before they got to him – getting a better mark than her in Ancient Runes the previous year, when she hardly saw him studying, ever. She _would _come top of the class in OWLS this year, or die trying. There was no way a Malfoy was going to beat her at her own game.

Rose was spared further thought about the injustices of Hogwarts' grading system by the post arriving, in the form of hundreds of owls swooping into the Great Hall and dropping their deliveries in the laps of their owners or sometimes, in their breakfast. This was the case with Rose's owl, a rather rebellious and wild animal named Pig Jr. who dropped her _Daily Prophet _almost deliberately in her bowl of cereal. Rose spluttered as her face and book were sprayed with milk and cornflakes, caught somewhere between humour and irritation. But the smile died on her lips as soon as she caught sight of the front page of the _Prophet. _

Staring up at her was a man so haggard and filthy he looked only partially human. Indeed, had he not been blinking periodically Rose would have sworn he wasn't alive at all. His hair was matted and tangled, his beard twisting in ropes beyond the length of the photograph. The hollows of his cheeks seemed to sink deep into his skull, as if he teetered on the brink of starvation. But more shocking than the man's ghastly appearance were his eyes, which were filled with such an agonised, tormented look that Rose, although perfectly well dressed, felt suddenly chilled to the marrow.

Beneath the harrowing photo, large words in bold-faced type read:

_NOTT CAPTURED_

_Late yesterday, Theodore Nott, long-time accused servant of the Dark Lord, was apprehended by Ministry of Magic officials in the south of Britain. Nott was captured trying to re-enter England after a suspected hiatus of fifteen years. It is not yet known why he chose to return. The arrest comes after a yearlong operation by the Auror Department, and a spokesperson for the Department said they were pleased with the outcome of their investigation. _

Rose skimmed the rest of the article, barely able to process what she was reading. Lines and phrases seemed to jump out at her at random.

_Alleged Death Eater…cleared of wrongdoing during the Second Wizarding War…_

_Disappeared six years after the downfall of Voldemort…_

_Suspected of the murder of Muggle-Born Bert Taylor…_

_Sentencing later this month…life in Azkaban…_

The last line of the article seemed to glare at her. She was almost afraid to read it.

_Nott has a son currently in his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The two have purportedly never met, as Nott disappeared three months before his son was born._

"Oh," was all Rose could say. She looked over to the Slytherin table, where Hector Nott was sitting. He was as white as a sheet, his eyes huge as he stared blankly at the newspaper before him.

"What's going on?" Dominique grabbed the paper from her. "Shit," she said after a moment.

It now seemed like every pair of eyes in the Great Hall was fixed on Nott, who sat like a rabbit in headlights, unable to move. Rose's heart went out to him. She neither liked nor disliked Nott, having barely spoken to him in her life. She knew him only as a tall, lanky Slytherin who said very little, but was always courteous enough when he did. She couldn't imagine what he must be feeling.

The Hall was deathly silent. Then, breaking through it like a sledgehammer, came a voice from the far end of the Hufflepuff table.

"Filthy Death Eater got what he deserved!"

Rose saw Scorpius stand up abruptly, eyes flashing. So too, she noted with a sinking heart, did Albus. Her cousin turned his fierce gaze in the direction the voice had come from.

"You want to stand up and say that again, McDonald?" he practically shouted. Nobody moved a muscle. Even the teachers seemed shocked into stillness and McDonald, whoever he was, had clearly exhausted his supply of bravado. It would have taken a very courageous soul indeed to stand up to both Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy at once. They did make quite an intimidating pair.

She couldn't take her eyes off him. Rose watched as Scorpius bent down and whispered something in Nott's ear. Nott nodded, still with the same dazed expression, and stood up. Together, the three of them – Albus, Scorpius, and Hector – walked from their table and out of the Great Hall. As soon as they had gone, a babble of talk broke out among the students, all frantically discussing what had just occurred. The only comparatively quiet corner was the Slytherin's. Many of them turned darkly back to their breakfast, thoughtful and brooding. Rose wasn't sure what to think.

Presently she became aware of a sharp pain in her finger. Looking down, she realised Pig had been pecking it repeatedly for several minutes in a vain attempt to get her attention.

"What?" she was about to shoo him away when she saw the note still tied to his leg. She had completely missed it in all the commotion. "Oh, sorry Pig!" she untied it and let the owl help himself to her now soggy cereal. The handwriting was her mother's:

_Rose,_

_You've probably heard the news about Nott by now. Your father and Harry were both involved in his capture, so they've known since yesterday. I want you to keep an eye on Albus. I know he's good friends with Hector and I wouldn't want this news to upset him. Let me know if you think he's not coping. Hope you're well,_

_Love,_

_Mum. _

Rose scrunched up the note and heaved a weary sigh. It was times like these she felt about one hundred years old.

* * *

><p>Rose barely saw Albus in the ensuing weeks. What with studying for the upcoming exams, taking all her extra classes, and the tutoring she had taken on for a little pocket money, she didn't have much time for herself, and even less for her family. On top of this, the only times she did catch sight of Albus, he seemed to be acting as Nott's personal bodyguard. He and Scorpius had clearly taken McDonald's comments seriously, and appeared determined not to let anyone get at Nott without their permission. Rose thought it was a little excessive, and even dared to whisper this to Albus during one of their shared Transfiguration lessons, but he merely rolled his eyes and ignored her.<p>

She was feeling just a little guilty for blowing off her mother's request. Albus _seemed _fine when she passed him in the corridors or sat with him in class, but Rose knew that wouldn't satisfy Hermione. So, on a lazy afternoon toward the end of the Easter holidays, she deliberately sought out what she believed was the Slytherin trio sitting under their favourite oak beside the lake.

There were only a few paces separating them before she realised there were just two figures beneath the tree: the blonde hair of Scorpius, and the messy brown tangle of Nott. Rose frowned in confusion; she could have sworn Albus had been there a moment ago. Perhaps it was the light playing tricks with her, or maybe she really was a lot more distracted than she thought.

It was too late to turn around without making herself look like a fool, so she had no choice but to square her shoulders and try to pretend like her belly hadn't just morphed into a soup of quivering frogspawn.

They looked up as she approached. Nott glowered sullenly, and Scorpius raised his eyebrows. A warm welcome indeed.

"Are you lost, Weasley?" Scorpius drawled at her, and she bit back the angry retort she longed to hurl at him. Merlin what wouldn't she give to wipe that smug look off his face. But she was here on business. There was no point rising to his bait.

"I'm looking for Albus," she said instead.

"Not here."

"I know that," she snapped. "Do you know where he is?"

Scorpius shrugged, still smirking in that infuriating manner of his. After a moment, Nott stood up, brushing a stray leaf from his robes. Now that Rose saw him up close, she realised just how ill he appeared. There were dark shadows under his eyes and his skin was a yellowish, unhealthy pallor. He looked paler than Scorpius, and that was no easy feat.

"Where are you going?" asked Scorpius, and she couldn't help but notice the difference in his tone when he addressed his friend. He sounded genuinely…concerned.

"Back to the castle," Nott replied gruffly. "See you later." With a curt nod to Rose – that she wasn't sure how to respond to – he swept past them and strode away back to up the grounds. She watched him go, a somehow sorrowful figure against the bright spring sunshine.

"Don't mind him," said Scorpius. He stretched himself luxuriously on the grass, folding his long legs over themselves with his back against the tree. "He's still uncomfortable around strangers."

Rose could sympathise. She was feeling distinctly awkward herself, standing above Scorpius like some sort of matron. He, however, seemed perfectly at ease.

"I'm…sorry about his father."

He shrugged.

"It must be hard to know that someone you love could do something so terrible."

His eyes flashed with anger, and she took an involuntary step back. "Wh-what?"

"So you think he's guilty then?"

"I…I…the _Prophet – _"

"Oh, well you must know what you're talking about then," said Scorpius snidely and with unexpected venom. "Getting all your facts from the _Prophet_, I don't know why I didn't ask you before."

"So you don't think he killed the Muggle-Born?" she asked, recovering herself a little.

"I think there's always more to the story than what's printed in a newspaper."

"But – but if he's innocent, then why did he run away. And – and the Ministry wouldn't charge him without strong evidence."

Scorpius just leant back and closed his eyes. "If you say so."

His dismissal of her arguments annoyed her, but she shook her head and bit her lip from replying. She hadn't come here to argue about the innocence or guilt of Theodore Nott. It really wasn't any of her business.

"So where did you say Albus was?"

"I didn't."

"Well…are you going to tell me or should I just leave?"

"Maybe," he patted the grass next to him without opening his eyes. "Sit down."

"Malfoy, as a Prefect I _order _you to tell me where Albus is." She puffed out her chest in what she hoped was an impressive manner, but he only snorted.

"Forgotten that I'm a Prefect as well, have you?"

"I…no." In truth, she _had_ forgotten. Rose blinked at him a moment, embarrassed. She had taken to pointedly ignoring Scorpius during Prefects meetings, and she was never scheduled to do patrol with him. Rose had a sneaking suspicion this was at the bequest of James, who was close friends with the Head Boy. "I just…that doesn't alter the fact that you are under an _obligation _to provide me with the information I require.

Scorpius gave a bark of laughter. "Pfft, Weasley, sometimes you're such a square," He hauled himself to his feet. "Just relax would you? Come for a walk around the lake." He held out his arm; Rose stared at it as if it might attack her.

"Will you tell me where Albus is?"

"Maybe," Scorpius' smirk was positively wicked. Rose hesitated for a moment, her pride warring with her common sense.

"Fine," she said at last, ignoring his arm and striding quickly past him. Scorpius fell into step beside her, his long strides outstripping hers easily, until she was forced to slow down lest she run out of breath. Damn teenage boys and their growth spurts!

"So…how are your studies going?" he asked after a while. Rose forced herself not to look at him, utterly confused as she was by his apparent good-naturedness. She had barely spoken to Scorpius since that strange day the year before when he had asked her to the Yule Ball and she had told him no. As far as Rose knew, he was still dating that Arabella girl he had ended up taking instead of her. She felt herself flush at the memory.

"Wow, you're a conversational one," remarked Scorpius sarcastically.

"What? Oh – " she racked her brains for what they were talking about. "My studies? Um, they're – they're good."

"Clearly," he made a sarcastic noise. "I see you studying most mornings at breakfast, dripping cereal on your robes. You're really outdoing yourself this year."

"Yes, well, my studies are important to me," she said, huffing just a little at his veiled insult. She wanted to reply with something witty, but her brain had gone strangely blank. Somehow her sense of humour always failed her when she needed it most.

"Still finding time for that boyfriend of yours?"

"My – what?" Rose was so shocked she stopped walking. Scorpius paused as well. They were on the far side of the lake, alone except for the Giant Squid making playful waves in the water nearby. "What are you talking about?"

There was a decidedly sour look on Scorpius' face as he answered. "You know, that Ravenclaw you're attached at the hip to. Tall, gangly one, completely uncoordinated. Pretty boy." He glared at the Squid, which had started blowing bubbles the size of baby dolphins.

Rose was dumbstruck. There was only one guy she knew who could fit that description. "You mean Lorcan?" she asked him incredulously. "Lorcan Scamander?"

Scorpius shrugged. He had folded his arms and was quite changed from his earlier casualness. Now he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but alone with her.

"You know it's none of your business?"

He looked at her with such an expression of annoyance she felt an involuntary shiver run up her spine. "Forget I mentioned it then," he glowered.

Torn between complying with his request and setting him straight about his miscomprehension, Rose rolled her eyes. Honestly, she really couldn't understand guys at all. Five whole years and Scorpius had never noticed that Lorcan was gay? "But, just so you know…Lorcan is nothing but a really good friend."

Malfoy snorted.

"He's _gay, _you imbecile," Rose snapped, cross that she felt compelled to spell it out for him. If he was too thick to pick it up then it wasn't _her _responsibility to fill in the blanks.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows at her, as if in disbelief. "You're joking! He told you that?" He shook his head and blew the hair out of his eyes as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Rose felt her shackles rise.

"Of course I'm not joking, you jerk," feeling a little worried by the look on his face, she felt compelled to add, "But don't go spreading that around okay? It's none of your business and he'll tell people when he's ready.

He didn't look at her, but Rose could see his eye twitch in irritation at her words. "Oh, of course not," he replied, in a voice about as far from sincere as he could manage. "I wouldn't want to ruin his little _game." _Without waiting for her, he continued walking.

Wait, _what_? She hurried after him, utterly perplexed about his meaning but a little afraid of asking judging from the expression on his face. Scorpius bunched his hands in his pockets and chewed his lip, as if considering something. Rose kept her eyes on the shoreline, willing herself closer so she could get away from this insufferable Slytherin who made her so uncomfortable. Drat Albus and all the effort she went to for him.

"You know, you should relax more."

Caught off guard after such a long silence, Rose was at a momentary loss for words. Relax? Who was he telling her to relax? _He _was the one who looked as if he might hex the next person to walk past him. "I do – I mean, I'm always relaxed," she said, annoyed at the shrillness of her own voice. "You should – you should mind your own business." Again.

They had reached the edge of the lake. The Squid, which had been following them, blew one last bubble in their direction before disappearing beneath the surface.

Rose was surprised to see a genuine smile flit across Scorpius' face. "Such a feisty little redhead," he muttered, reaching out as if to touch her. She flinched away from him, and his smile vanished.

"Are you going to tell me where Albus is?" she asked, to fill the tense silence. "You did promise."

"I said maybe."

"Well?"

Scorpius looked at her for a long while. He seemed to be debating with himself. "There's a party in the Slytherin common room tomorrow night," he said at last. When she only stared at him blankly he continued. "Albus will be there. So will lots of people from the other houses. Password's '_Gillyweed.' _You can come, if you want."

Then he turned and stalked away from her without a backwards glance.

* * *

><p>"So are you going to go?" asked Dominique once Rose had finished recounting the tale to her. Her cousin's blue eyes were wide as she crunched an apple.<p>

"Well, no…I don't know!" Rose had been agonising over this same question for several hours now. It was bugging her so much that she had made three consecutive mistakes on her Potions Essay and had eventually been forced to abandon it altogether. Part of her said she should go for Albus' sake; the other half warned her it would be a very bad idea that she would regret deeply later on. "I've got a lot of work to do..."

Dominique rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be such a square. It'll be fun, and you'll have me for company."

"You're going? What, why?" Rose asked, ignoring for the moment being called a square for the second time in one day.

"Well…" Dominique smiled radiantly. "Calvin Davies invited me."

"But he's not even in Slytherin! He's a Ravenclaw."

"So?"

Rose groaned in frustration. "I can always catch up with Albus another time," she said slowly. But when though? Classes started again after the weekend, and she would have to study extra hard. OWLS were only a few weeks away.

"Come on Rosie, it'll be great!" Dom was looking at her with such sincerity Rose felt herself melting against her own common sense.

"I don't have anything to wear…"

"You can borrow one of my dresses!"

"Oh all right," she consented, heaving a resigned sigh. "But only to check on Albus. And if I don't like it, then I'm coming straight back."

Dominique nodded solemnly, but Rose thought she caught a twinkle in her cousin's eye.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Review, and the next chapter might be a Scorpius POV ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed. You made my day/week._

_This Chapter follows on directly from the last one, still in Fifth Year. _

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><p><em>Fifth Year<em>

Rose had only been down to the Slytherin common rooms half a dozen times during her years at Hogwarts. She usually met Albus in the Entrance Hall, the library, or out in the grounds somewhere. Descending the cold stone steps toward the dungeons, she had the unpleasant sensation that she was heading straight to her doom.

"Oh cheer up," hissed Dominique next to her after she had vocalised these exact thoughts. Her cousin let out a curse as one of her heels slipped on the step, and Rose muttereda silent thanks that she had chosen flats. She still felt dangerously exposed in Dominique's dress, however, even though she had chosen the most modest outfit she could find. Next to her part-Veela cousin, Rose really felt that she couldn't do justice to any outfit whatsoever.

"I feel ill," she said as they approached the arched entrance. A few people milling outside gave them curious looks as they passed them. "Gillyweed," she mumbled, and the seemingly impenetrable stone moulded itself into a doorway before swinging forward to admit them.

Inside was noisy, smoky, crowded and hot, or at least that was Rose's first impression. There was a large makeshift dance floor where the couches would normally be, and loud music was blaring from invisible speakers. Glasses floated everywhere through the air, carrying an assortment of suspicious looking liquids. In one corner a group of third or fourth year students were breathing fire at each other, and Rose had to look away lest she give them all detentions on the spot. Almost every inch of wall was covered in shimmering green and silver, in clear celebration of Slytherin's victory over Hufflepuff in Quidditch earlier that day.

"Isn't this great," Dominique squeaked, waving into the crowd. "Ooh, there's Calvin. Stay here Rose, I'll be right back."

"What, no! Dom – wait!" But her cousin's blonde head was already disappearing. Rose stood quite still, trying to calm her racing heart and the sinking feeling in her stomach. She felt terribly vulnerable, just standing there by herself. For something to do, she swiped a drink out of mid-air and took a gulp, nearly gagging at the foul tasting liquor. At least nobody seemed to be paying any attention to her; she took another sip and surveyed her surroundings more closely. Most of the people were familiar to her, as acquaintances or casual friends. There were very few Gryffindors present. She took another generous sip and tapped her feet to the music. Perhaps this wasn't so bad…

"Well, look who it is," came a silky voice beside her ear, startling her so much she nearly dropped her drink. Whirling around, Rose found herself face to face with Scorpius Malfoy. He regarded her with an amused expression as she fought for something to say.

"Hello," she said at last.

"Hello," he replied with a smirk. In the candlelit room Rose couldn't help but notice how handsome he appeared. She tried not to feel intimidated by how much bigger than her he was. "You look nice."

"Uh…thanks," she was glad the dimness hid her blush. To cover her embarrassment, she gulped down the remainder of her drink, grimacing a little at the burning sensation. Scorpius gave a bark of laughter.

"Didn't peg you for a heavy drinker."

Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from her glass, which was magically refilling itself, and stared obstinately at the blonde boy in front of her. "Don't be archaic, Malfoy. Having one, or two – " she took another sip as if to prove her point – "of this…whatever it is, doesn't make me a heavy _anything. _I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

Scorpius opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a short, thickset student dressed in Slytherin robes practically barrelling into him. On closer inspection Rose recognised him as Vincent Goyle, from the year below them.

"Scorp, maaaate," he slurred, shaking Scorpius repeatedly on the shoulder with one gorilla like hand. "Awesome today, mate, awesome. Great catch, best I've seen. You gotta come say hi to my sister, she's dying to congrachulate you. Come on, come on," and, ignoring Rose as if he simply didn't see her, he began tugging on Scorpius' arm like an overenthusiastic younger brother. Scorpius offered an apologetic, "back in a minute" before letting himself be pulled away into the crowd.

Alone again, Rose turned to scan the throng once more. She felt less comfortable than before, not as inconspicuous; she was getting a few more curious looks now, no doubt from being seen talking to Malfoy. To hide her embarrassment, she finished her second drink, then a third, and was just starting on a fourth when Scorpius returned. He looked between her and the drink in her hand, and frowned.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" he asked, and Rose felt her hackles rise at his chastising tone.

"What are you trying to say?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, just suggesting you take it easy. You'd want to have all your wits on you around here, that's all."

"I'll thank you to – " she faltered, somehow losing the thread of what she had been about to say. She took another swig, jumping out of Scorpius' grasp when he made a lunge for the glass, and laughing gleefully at his scowl. "To…be _still."_She downed the rest of it before he could get to her, then handed him the empty glass, before she remembered that it would refill. Oh well, she probably had had enough, she thought as she stumbled into someone and fought for far longer than should have been necessary to regain her balance.

"Are you alright?" asked Scorpius, eyeing her as if she might explode at any moment like some kind of Blast-Ended Skrewt.

Incensed, Rose mustered her best attempt at dignity, "Of course I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" She couldn't see Dom or Albus anywhere. Curse her unreliable family.

"It's just," Scorpius leant towards her and Rose felt his hot breath on her cheek. It made her feel unsteady. "You give me the impression of not doing this very often, and I'd hate for you to slip up and embarrass yourself. It's not seemly."

Rose felt her cheeks burn with humiliation. Unseemly, indeed! She wasn't really that bad, was she? Huffing with wounded pride, she swiped her drink out of Scorpius' hand and downed it in one go, earning a cheer from someone passing by and a growl of anger from Malfoy. The taste was even worse than before, and she had to take a deep breath to suppress the urge to vomit it all back up. The room went momentarily out of focus, before righting itself again.

"Woah there," Scorpius put a hand on her shoulder, but she yanked herself out of his grasp. "Rose – "

"For your information," she hiccupped. "I go to parties _all _the _time. _So I'm perfectly _fine._" He looked as if he was going to argue some more, but she couldn't stand to listen so, ignoring his shocked look, she turned on her heel and lurched into the throng of dancers behind them.

Bodies jostled her from all sides, hot and sweaty and loud. Rose pushed through them, only one thought in her mind: finding Albus. After all, she hadn't come here to chat with these bloody Slytherins. All she had to do was ask if he was okay, then she could get the hell out of there and back to the peaceful sanctuary of the Gryffindor common room.

Losing her balance, she stumbled sideways and collided with someone, her stomach lurching dangerously. Arms gripped her and righted her, but didn't let go.

"Hey, watch where you're going," said a male voice Rose found vaguely familiar. She tried to pull away from him but his grip was like iron. Through bleary vision she thought she saw a dark, arrogant face.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay. You're Rose Weasley right?" She nodded belatedly, trying and failing to keep a clear head. What was she doing here exactly? She couldn't remember.

"I'm Bachar," the person holding her replied. "Bachar Zabini." He ran one hand down her arm and onto her waist. "You should be more careful."

"Mmm." It had something to do with Albus. Albus, where was Albus?

"Yeah," Zabini was holding her much too close. She felt squashed against his chest, trapped and claustrophobic. His hand was squeezing her waist tightly, painfully. "You might run into the wrong type of person, out here on the dance floor." His breath was hot and laced with alcohol as it washed over her. "Cute little thing like you, who knows what could happen." His hand was getting just a little too fresh, travelling down past her waist and over her hips. Rose began to fumble clumsily for her wand, but her movements were slow and uncoordinated, and she couldn't seem to find the pocket in her dress. Maybe a good slap would do it, if she could just get her arms free…

There was a sound like a deep snarl behind her, and Zabini's hands released her as if burnt. She swayed on the spot, confused. Someone else gripped her wrist and was wrenching her out of the circle, and she thought she knew who it was.

"Next time, keep your hands to yourself, hey Zabini?" Scorpius' voice sounded tight with anger. He yanked her rather forcefully from the crowd, and Rose felt solid wall hit her back with a wave of relief. That had been a little too close for comfort.

Opening her eyes, she saw Scorpius' face within an inch of her own. He looked livid.

"Care to explain why you were out on the dance floor letting Bachar Zabini paw you?" he yelled at her. She blinked at him in offence.

"He wasn't _pawing,_he was…helping me because I fell into him."

Scorpius sneered. "That wasn't what it looked like from here."

"I'm looking for Albus," she croaked lamely, too tired and drunk to argue with him.

His face softened somewhat. "Come on then, I'll take you to him," he held out his arm, and after a moment of inner turmoil she accepted it with a sigh.

But they had barely taken a step away from the wall when another figure blocked their way. Forcing her eyes to focus, Rose saw Ivy Lestrange standing in front of them, her frizzy black hair tied up in a bun at the top of her head and a derisive smirk plastered on her face. She groaned inwardly.

"Is that – but it can't be…_Weasley?" _she gasped in mock astonishment. Her sidekick, CentillaBulstrode, laughed cruelly. "What on _earth _are you doing here?"

"Bugger off Ivy," growled Scorpius. Ivy seemed to notice him for the first time. Her eyes narrowed, and for a minute she looked furious. Then she laughed again, and tossed her head.

"Oh, have you taken pity on the poor, _poor _Weasel, Scorp?" she simpered. "She must have got lost here on her way to the _library._ You always were too kind to those who…don't deserve it."

If she had been feeling more steady on her feet Rose might have hexed the Slytherin girl into oblivion (a good Bat Bogey Hex would certainly do the trick), but as it stood all she wanted was to get away. Feeling like she couldn't stand there a second more before she screamed bloody murder, she slithered out of Scorpius' grasp, pushed roughly past Ivy, ducked her head and charged like a hippogriff toward the exit. Screw Albus, screw Dom. Screw all of them. Why had she ever come to this stupid party? _Idiot, _she cursed herself, Ivy's laughter still ringing in her ears.

She was halfway up the dungeon steps, her footsteps echoing loudly off the stone walls, when she slipped and scraped the back of her heel on the cold cement. Putting a hand out to steady herself, she stopped, swayed on the spot, and burst into tears. The unfamiliar alcohol was making her feel dizzy and heavy, her cheeks were hot with shame, and her hair had come loose and now hung about her in bushy disobedience. Oh, if her parents could see her now…

"Rose?" she spun around at the sound of her name, lost her balance, and found herself falling into a pair of strong arms. A firm chest absorbed the force of the collision as if she were no heavier than a doll. For the moment, Rose didn't have the strength to push herself away, so she buried her face against him, soaking his robes with tears.

"Hey, don't cry," Scorpius patted her head, then put one arm around her, hesitantly, as if unsure whether she would permit it. But Rose felt so exhausted, and so unsteady on her own feet, that she merely clung to him even harder. He wrapped his other arm around her then, and Rose felt his warmth penetrate every inch of her. It didn't feel anything like when Zabini had clutched her; this felt a thousand times better. "You're not crying over that idiot Lestrange are you? I hope not, because if you were, I'd have to severely downgrade my estimation of your intelligence."

Rose half laughed, half sobbed, against Scorpius' chest. "Oh Merlin…" she said after a while, making to stand upright. A wave of nausea swept over her, and she slumped back against him.

"Take it easy," he chuckled.

"Feel…dizzy."

"That would be because you just drank five or six glasses of Ogden's extra-potent Firewhiskey in barely half an hour," he said, sounding uncharacteristically stern. Rose couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. "What," he growled into her hair. "You think this is funny?"

"No," Rose lifted her head just enough to look at him. Why had she never realised how enchanting his eyes were? It was like looking up into a stormy sky. "I think you're sweet."

Uh-oh, had she just said that? Rose blinked and tried to think of something to say to cover her embarrassment. Scorpius was looking at her with a very grave expression. Was he mad at her? She couldn't seem to think straight. Then, suddenly, he was leaning forward and…kissing her!

Rose tensed, aware even through the fog of her intoxicated mind that this was wrong. And yet, his lips were so warm, and nice, and she would just enjoy this for a moment longer, and then…but time stretched on and still she stood frozen, pliant in Scorpius' arms. He held her tightly, and she felt him sigh into her mouth. But…the walls were starting to spin, he was holding her too tightly, she was slipping…

"Oh, fuck," Scorpius' oath was the last thing she heard before her head lolled forward and she disappeared into blackness.

* * *

><p>When she woke up, she was warm in her dormitory bed, still dressed but without her jacket, scarf and shoes. These, she saw, had been deposited at the foot of her four-poster bed. Dominique was stretching lazily on the bunk opposite, tousle-haired and wearing her pyjamas.<p>

"Well, finally," she grinned and immediately handed Rose a cup of steaming orange liquid. "I thought you'd never wake up. Drink that, it'll help with the headache."

"I don't have a – " but she broke off, wincing. As soon as she had tried to sit up her head had careered violently as if her brain was being tossed in rough seas. Deciding not to argue, Rose drank the orange tonic in one, and instantly felt warmth flood her. The storm in her head seemed to dim somewhat.

"What…time is it," she croaked, wriggling into a sitting position and reaching around for her clock. The figures twinkled up at her: 12.00. But, it wasn't dark outside.

"It's midday sleepyhead," said Dominique. Rose felt a sweeping sensation in her belly. Midday? She had slept until midday? But there was a Prefects meeting, study, her tutoring…how could she have let this happen!

"Oh no," she clutched her head. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Aw…but you looked so peaceful. And honestly, you're exhausted, you clearly needed the sleep. It's alright, just relax. Rose?"

But something far worse than a missed Prefects meeting had suddenly seized her memory. She cast a nervous glance at Dom. "What – uh, what happened last night?"

Her cousin smirked. "You mean you don't remember anything?"

Rose shook her head.

"Scorpius Malfoy carried you up here, all by himself. It was very sweet of him, especially considering he was the life of the party, Seeker and all," Dom's eyes glazed. "Honestly, who knew he had it in him? He's usually such a humungous jerk."

Rose felt like she might throw up. She fished around for something to say. "How did – how did he get in?"

"Oh yeah," Dom crinkled her nose. "James was there, so…uh, he opened the portrait hole. You see, Gryffindor were having their own kinda party, and…"

"Ugh," Rose groaned. What a terrible night. And now, on top of everything, James was going to blab to her parents that she had been drinking, and passed out, and she would be in so much trouble.

"But it's okay," Dom continued brightly. "Because Scorpius told him you'd slipped and fallen on the way back from seeing Albus. James wanted to take you to the Hospital Wing, but we persuaded him you'd be fine with some rest."

"We?"

"Yeah, well obviously I came back as soon as Scorpius came and told me what happened," Dom waved a hand dismissively. "I wasn't going to stay at the party without you Rose."

"It's not like you were paying any attention to me anyway," she huffed.

"Whatever, you're just lucky Scorpius was there to look after you. I'm never leaving you unsupervised again." Dom gave her an angelic, Veela-inspired smile.

"Yeah…" Rose tried to marshal her thoughts, but it was difficult. He had lied for her, when he really had no obligation to do so whatsoever. She had never been anything but rude to him, and yet…Rose hurriedly hid her face behind her hair to cover how red she was. That kiss...Gods that hadn't been a dream, had it? That had actually happened…

"Rose?" Dominique's eyes were flashing with curiosity. "Anything you want to tell me? Why are you blushing like you've just been kissed?"

Rose gave a strangled little squeak and disappeared behind her hangings. She couldn't tell Dom, she would make such a big deal out of it. And it wasn't a big deal. It was just a stupid, drunken moment that both of them would be keen to forget. How was Scorpius to know that that had been her first kiss? No, it was best just to pretend it didn't happen. It really wasn't a big deal.

"Uh, earth to Rose?"

"Not feeling well," she mumbled, curling up beneath the covers and turning her back on her cousin. "Night!"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, had a very busy weekend. **

**Again, this chapter follows on directly from the last. Enjoy!**

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><p>She avoided Scorpius for over a week. After all, they only shared a few lessons, and when they did Rose ensured she arrived and left with the rest of the Gryffindors, making it impossible for him to approach her. The third time she did this, she saw him scowl darkly at her from his table, but she stoically ignored his gaze. She had thought maybe he would want to avoid her as well, but from the look on his face she knew he was waiting for a chance to speak to her alone. The thought filled her with terror.<p>

It wasn't that she was particularly angry with Scorpius. Really, he had been nicer than she would have thought possible and helped her out of a very sticky situation. And he had been comforting, and…but she just had no idea what to _say _to him. How could she look him in the eye after…after she had kissed him and passed out in his arms? What if he thought it meant something, or worse, what if it didn't mean anything at all to him? What if right now he was laughing about it with his Slytherin buddies? Having a good old chuckle at her expense. What if…oh frogspawn, what if he told Albus?

Eventually, he caught her. Coming out of the Entrance Hall one morning, late after oversleeping, she felt a hand grab her and pull her quickly into an abandoned classroom. She knew before looking who it was.

There was a long silence. Rose couldn't look at him.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked, cutting straight to the chase in a cold voice. Despite herself, Rose glanced at him. His hair was scruffier than normal, but beside that, he appeared as he always did, cool and proud and handsome. His eyes, though, were shining with a suppressed fury that made her quiver in her boots.

"I – I haven't."

"_Don't _play games with me Rose," he backed her up against the wall so quickly she didn't even see him move. She kept forgetting he was a Quidditch Seeker. "You and I both know you've been avoiding me since the party."

It was really very hard to concentrate with him so close to her, his breath warming her neck as he spoke. He had an arm on either side of her against the wall, so that she felt somewhat like a caged animal.

"I – I just wanted to forget it," she said.

It was evidently not the right thing to say. Scorpius' glare darkened. "Are you in the habit of kissing guys at parties and then forgetting about it?"

"What? No, no of course not," she stuttered, feeling irrationally close to tears. "That was – that's never happened to me before."

His expression relaxed a little. "Me neither."

"I…didn't know what to do…after."

Scorpius quirked an eyebrow. "Well I did save your skin, in more than one way. How about a thank you?"

"Th-thank you."

Without warning, he leant toward her and pressed his lips gently against hers. For a moment she was stunned to stillness, shocked both at his sudden movement and her own body's reaction to it. Her heartbeat had doubled in a matter of milliseconds and her lips were tingling. But…what was he doing? How dare he take this tremendous liberty when he, when he…she slapped her hands against his chest and pushed, tearing her lips away from his. Scorpius made a sound of frustration and stepped back. "What are you doing?" she screeched at him when she had partially recovered herself.

"Taking my thank you," he smirked, and her hand twitched towards her wand. Scorpius caught the moment and scowled. "Going to hex me, Weasley?"

Rose tried to ignore that he had switched to last names. "I will if you attack me again!"

"Attack you?" Scorpius asked, his expression murderous. "You're trying to tell me that you didn't want it? You practically threw yourself on me at the party, and – "

"I didn't _throw _myself on you!" she yelled in outrage. Was that how he remembered it? As her, desperate and drunk, throwing herself at him? "I slipped and fell."

"And the kiss?" He clenched his jaw. "What's your excuse for that?"

"I – I was drunk," she retorted. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"Oh of course, because I forgot it only takes a few drinks to knock you senseless," he spat, raking a hand through his hair and looking angrier than she had ever seen him.

"Yeah, well I didn't know what I was doing!" she replied, equally angry.

"Or that's what you tell yourself," he glared at her. "If I'd known it was that easy to get between your legs, I'd have – "

SLAP!

Rose pulled back her hand, breathing heavily. She had slapped him so hard across the face her fingers were stinging; there was already a bright red mark blossoming over Scorpius' pale skin.

"I…I shouldn't have said that," he croaked out. "Rose…"

"Don't!_"_ she hissed, beside herself with rage and humiliation. Scorpius' closed his eyes against the hatred in her stare. "Just _leave _me _alone_!"

And she swept herself out of the classroom without another word.

* * *

><p>Rose stared in disgust at the object before her. Well, 'object' was perhaps not the best term to describe what she was seeing; for, she was being reliably informed by an over enthusiastic Professor Hagrid, this was in fact a living creature.<p>

"A Soft-Bellied Wentle," said Hagrid, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his rather enormous feet. Although older and greyer than when her parents had attended Hogwarts, Hagrid had lost none of his gigantic stature and still towered above Rose and the rest of the Care of Magical Creatures class. "They're right brillian' creatures, Wentles."

Albus, who was standing next to her, made a sound of disbelief in his throat. Rose was inclined to agree. She was looking at a slimy, off-white blob, roughly the size of both her fists clenched together, sitting like some kind of mouldy lump of dough in a wooden crate. There didn't seem to be any limbs, orifices, or appendages visible, and besides oozing a milky substance and the occasional squelching sound, there was no real indication that it was even alive.

"Well, they mightn' look like much," continued Hagrid, catching their expressions of doubt. "But don' let 'em fool yeh. Wentle's are extremely powerful…an' dangerous," he added, almost as an afterthought. "Which is why I wan' yeh all ter wear these," he held up a pair of gloves big enough for Rose to fit her head inside. "Dragon hide, ter protect yeh from the pus."

"The…pus?" said Dominique in a weak voice, shuffling closer to Rose. She snatched a pair of gloves off the ground and hurriedly put them on, her eyes fixed on the Wentle as if afraid it launch itself at her.

"Tha's righ'…who can tell me the benefits o' Wentle pus?" asked Hagrid as the rest of the students helped themselves to the large mound of gloves next to him.

"It's the key ingredient to Membrance Potion," said Scorpius, from his position on Albus' other side. Rose forced herself not to look at him as he spoke. "Used to treat Amnesia."

"Righ' you are," beamed Hagrid. "Ten points ter Slytherin. Now, I wan' yeh all ter pair up an' choose a Wentle. Pair up, c'mon."

Dominique clasped Rose's hand and together they took a tentative step towards the closest Wentle. It squelched at them apathetically. Albus and Scorpius took the one to their right.

"Now," Hagrid seemed oblivious to the class' lack of enthusiasm. "'S no' possible ter collect the pus till they're fully grown. So today we'll jus' be feedin' 'em these crushed Mugworts." And he began to move amongst the students, distributing buckets full of what appeared to be a thick black slop with the consistency of mud.

Nobody moved. "Umm, Hagrid?" began Rose, careful to keep her tone light. She knew how sensitive the gamekeeper was about his magical 'pets', having heard many stories from her parents about Hagrid's fondness for monsters, including dragons, Acromantula (Ron's face went particularly pale when the others told this story), and a three-headed dog affectionately nicknamed 'Fluffy.' "_How _do we feed them exactly?"

The half-giant blinked at her as if her question had never occurred to him. "Oh, righ'…well, yeh jus' _rub _the Mugworts inter their flesh, see," he scooped up a handful of the black slop and began massaging it into the gooey Wentle, which gave a satisfying quiver and squelched a little louder. "An' they digest it through their skin. Brillian', don' yeh think?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," whispered Dominique.

So as not to hurt Hagrid's feelings, Rose plunged her gloved hand into the bucket of Mugworts and pulled out a handful, smelling strongly of millipedes. Together, she and Dominique covered their Wentle in the substance, which really did seem to wriggle in pleasure as it sucked in the slop through its skin. It was possibly the most bizarre experience Rose had ever had, and she had witnessed in her fair share of strangeness.

"Ah, look Rosie, Dom, he's lookin' at yeh," Hagrid had come up behind them and was pointing excitedly. Rose peered more carefully at their Wentle, and saw that what she had assumed to be simple folds of flesh had indeed lifted to reveal two glassy, milk-coloured eyes. The Wentle blinked squelchily, and oozed some more slime.

"I think he likes yeh," said Hagrid.

"How come ours isn't looking at us?" complained Albus. He shot Rose a grin, and she flicked a glob of Mugwort at him in return, giggling at the look of horror on his face. But her laughter died when her gaze inadvertently travelled from Albus to the handsome blonde standing next to him. Scorpius was staring fixedly at her, his jaw clenched and an unreadable expression in his eyes. Rose flushed and looked away, but not before catching Albus' rolled eyes at her reaction.

Her cousin didn't know about her theatrics at the Slytherin party, and for that she was thankful. She had been afraid, for a while, that Scorpius would blab to him, but in the days following Albus hadn't made any indication that he knew about what had happened. Even after her and Scorpius' argument in the classroom (Rose was determined to think about it in general terms, an _argument, _rather than go into the specifics of what was said) Al didn't treat her any differently. Which was a good thing. She didn't know what she would have said if Albus had confronted her about kissing his best friend, let alone if the rest of her family found out. But Scorpius clearly felt it was all too embarrassing to his reputation to be spreading around. What _would _Ivy Lestrange or Arabella Yaxley say if they knew their precious Scorpius Malfoy had kissed the half-blood bookworm Weasley? Rose couldn't help but feel a little smug at the thought.

"You know," mused Dom, jerking Rose from her reverie. "These things are _almost _a little bit cute." She gave the Wentle a gentle pat, it blinked at her, and they both burst out laughing.

The end of the lesson came too soon for Rose, and the rest of the Gryffindors, who had a History of Magic revision class next, in which they knew Professor Binns would drone on endlessly while they scrambled to take notes and not fall asleep. It was a beautiful late Autumn day, the sun shining on the grounds and making the Lake glisten and the grass seem greener than ever, and all Rose wanted to do was wile away the hours at her favourite spot in the grounds until dinnertime.

She was so caught up in her daydream she didn't notice Albus falling into step beside her as they walked back up to the castle. She automatically looked for Scorpius, and found him several metres ahead of them with the rest of the Slytherins.

"Hey," she said casually.

"Hey," Al was chewing his lip. "Did you hear the news?"

Rose shook her head.

"About Nott's father," continued Albus, his voice strangely relaxed. "His charges have been downgraded to accidental wizard-slaughter."

"Accidental wizard-slaughter?" she tested the words on her tongue. "So does that mean he won't be imprisoned?" Rose was no expert on Magical Law, but the charges definitely sounded less serious than murder.

Albus shrugged. "He might still get a few years. The facts aren't really available yet and they haven't had the trial, but it looks good. I only know that much because Scorpius' Dad is working as part of the defence team."

At the mention of Scorpius Rose couldn't help but tense, but she forced herself to keep walking. "But that's great…if he's innocent, I mean. I'm sure it will all work out," and she could then safely send an owl to her mother advising that Albus was well.

"Yeah, hopefully. That's if the whole wizarding world isn't baying for his blood before he even gets to the Wizengamot," Al's face darkened. "The _Prophet _isn't helping things either."

"What do you mean?" she asked, not really liking the change in his demeanour.

Albus scoffed. "I mean everyone thinks he's guilty already, don't they? He's a Slytherin, he didn't fight in the War against Voldemort, he's a pureblood, and the man who died was Muggleborn…that alone makes him a criminal in some people's eyes."

"Well," she said, trying to be reasonable, "he _did _run away and make himself look guilty."

"And who would have believed him if he'd stayed?" asked Albus, rounding on her angrily. They had been walking slowly and were at the rear of the group of students heading back to the Castle; most of them were already inside. "What sort of a fair trial do you think he would've had when everyone's already declared him guilty by association?"

"Umm…"

"The fact is that everyone's got it in for Slytherins, especially those who went to school with our parents," continued Albus without letting her speak, his green eyes glinting. "They're blacklisted from the very start! Just look at Mr and Mrs Malfoy. They've had to work for years to prove themselves, and they still get shunned by most wizarding families."

Rose thought this was taking it just a little too far. "Well, maybe they shouldn't have done those awful things to begin with," she countered. "Al, Slytherins got their bad name for a _reason. _I'm not saying all Slytherins are like that, but they've got a long history of – "

"And you're just as bad as the rest of them!" Al interrupted her. "You've been horrible to Scorpius since the day you first met him, and here we are, fifth years, and you're _still _not giving him the time of day. It doesn't matter what he does, he won't ever be good enough in your eyes, will he?"

"Scorpius is just as horrible as his father was!" Rose snapped, losing her temper. They had stopped on the Castle steps; Rose could still see Hagrid outside his hut, pottering about amongst the crates of Wentles. "They're discriminating, elitist, _chauvinistic _prats, and I think you'll find most people agree with me."

Albus was glaring at her. "Whatever Rose," he said quietly. She opened her mouth to respond but he half-turned, shouldering his bag and taking a step into the Entrance Hall. "I've got to get to class."

* * *

><p>"Why the long face?" Dominique had been annoyingly chirpy ever since she got back from her 'study session' with Calvin Davies. Her curly blonde hair was practically bouncing of its own accord. "What's wrong with you?"<p>

"Nothing." Rose speared spitefully into a potato. She was feeling glum and, as if on cue, everyone around her seemed to be in high spirits. Lily, Hugo and their third year classmates were engaged in an animated conversation of their most recent Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, tackling Boggarts; she could hear their chatter and it was grating on her sour mood like fingernails on a chalkboard.

The only comparatively unhappy face on the Gryffindor table was that of Peoria Rallitt, a mousy girl in her own year who had a rather uncanny resemblance to Moaning Myrtle in her constant negativity. She was clutching a roll of parchment to her chest and scowling.

"What's wrong?" asked Rose tentatively, more to detach herself from Dom's inquisitive stare than anything else.

Peoria sniffed. "Got a T on my Potions Essay," and she thrust the scroll under Rose's nose, where indeed a large fat Troll graced the top corner, grunting and swinging its club. Rose wrinkled her nose sympathetically.

"That's too bad," she said. "Maybe next time?"

"Well it's difficult to do much better when _all _the teachers have got it in for me," moaned Peoria, hugging her essay against her chest again. "I am facing a constant battle of unfairness in this School because _nobody _likes me."

Rose was spared from having to reply by the arrival of James, who threw himself down next to her and began piling food onto his plate. He had obviously come straight from Quidditch Practice; he was still wearing his robes and was drawing many curious looks from the other Gryffindors, particularly some of the first years who were not yet used to seeing the Potters and Weasleys on a day-to-day basis. James Potter was something of a hero in his own House, more so than ever this year now that he had been made Quidditch Captain and was on track to helping them retain the Cup for the third year running.

"Heya Rosie," he grinned, brushing off the attention as if it was nothing. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she repeated, though she couldn't help her eyes travelling over to the Slytherin table, where Albus and Scorpius were laughing at some joke. James followed her gaze and frowned.

"Al being a prat?" he asked simply, and Rose blinked, somewhat surprised at his omniscience.

"You could say that, yeah."

"Don't worry about it," said James, putting a whole baked potato in his mouth. Rose raised her eyebrows and waited for him to be able to speak again. "He's been a bit prattish to everyone lately. I wouldn't take it personally."

"He thinks I'm _bigoted,_" she couldn't help from blurting out. She noticed Peoria leaning toward them and lowered her voice. "But I'm not. Just because I don't like _every _Slytherin, doesn't make me a bigot." She sent a certain blonde a withering glare, but he wasn't looking at her and James didn't notice.

"Pfft, Al's just upset because he got sorted into the worst House in Hogwarts and we keep beating them at Quidditch," James gulped down his pumpkin juice and turned to face her. "He has to pretend he likes it in Slytherin, even though I bet he's wishing he was in Gryffindor with us." He puffed out his chest and winked at Peoria, who blushed and ducked her head. "He'll get over it, don't worry."

Rose looked over to the Slytherin table again, where Al was eating his dinner and talking to Malfoy and Nott, the latter of whom was looking much healthier. He certainly didn't look like someone who was wishing he was somewhere else, in fact he seemed about as happy as a fifth year Hogwarts student approaching his OWLs could be. A lot happier than she felt anyway. Rose sighed and gave James a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah," she said, returning to her dinner. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know a lot of you have ****a problem with Rose..._I _have a problem with her too! But it wouldn't be very interesting if I had them get together this chapter, would it? Patience, my lovelies, patience. **

**And just a quick clarification: Ivy Lestrange is the daughter of Rabastan Lestrange and OC. Oh and yeah, I made Wentles up. They don't actually exist, either in real life or HP.**

**This chapter starts from Sixth Year. I promise that from here there will be a lot less jumping around, and chapters will follow each other chronologically. Enjoy. **

* * *

><p><em>Sixth Year<em>

Rose waved furiously out of the window at her parents, watching them grow smaller and smaller before vanishing completely as the Hogwarts Express pulled away from Kings Cross Station. Then, abandoning the large smile she had plastered to her face for their sake, she sank back into her seat with an audible groan.

She was a sixth year now, Rose thought hollowly. A _Senior_ Prefect. Her cousin James was Quidditch Captain for the second year, and her other cousin Roxy had been chosen for an exchange program to Beauxbatons and would be gone for most of the year. Dominique was in a serious relationship with Calvin Davies, who had finished school and was starting an apprenticeship in his father's business. Over the summer, Victoire and Teddy had announced their engagement. Both of Percy's children were working as interns at the Ministry of Magic. Even her brother Hugo had a girlfriend he had been owling all holidays.

It made her feel old.

For the first time Rose felt like she belonged to the 'senior' group of the Potter-Weasley clan to attend Hogwarts. And with growing up came a huge number of responsibilities that she didn't feel like she could handle at the moment. Although she had received perfect marks on all her OWLs as intended, she still had no idea what it was she wanted to do with her life. The indecision made her feel slightly queasy, despite her parents' assurances that there was no rush to choose a career path.

And then there was her summer. Everyone seemed to be pairing off, and she didn't like it. It made her feel she was behind the eight ball, somehow, for not yet being in a relationship? She was only sixteen, for Merlin's sake. But truth be told, that wasn't really what was bothering her most. Sure, Dom was irritatingly obsessed with Calvin, and it was just plain creepy to think of Hugo being in a relationship, but what had made her most miserable all summer, was Albus.

Rose closed her eyes, a wave of anguish washing over her at the thought of her cousin. He had been giving her the cold shoulder ever since their conversation on the steps of the Entrance Hall earlier in the year. He seemed to take her hatred of Scorpius as a personal insult, even though Rose had never even _said _anything afterwards. Not once. She had merely ignored Scorpius' existence like she always had, to which she thought she had every right after what he said to her. Besides, he was ignoring her as well; she might have been invisible for all the notice Scorpius took of her apart from the odd glare in her direction now and then. So it was more than a little unfair of Albus to take it all out on her. But that's what he seemed to have decided. Except for a few words exchanged during the exam period and on the train home, Al had barely said anything to her since that disastrous week, and he'd been steadfastly ignoring her all summer. That hadn't been helped by the fact he had spent three weeks staying at Malfoy Manor, much to Ron's well vocalised horror.

"Oi!" the abrasive voice of her little brother shattered the silence, and Rose gave a start. She hadn't even noticed Hugo sitting there, and, she realised with dread, neither had she seen Lily beside him. She blushed a little under their curious gazes, embarrassed to have been caught sulking in front of them. "What's up with you?" Hugo asked, availing his usual enormous subtlety.

Rose stared at them. They were like twins, Lily and Hugo, utterly inseparable. The two of them did pretty much everything together; sometimes it even appeared as if they could read each other's minds. And of course, she thought wryly, they were both in Gryffindor. No, Lily hadn't ruined her and Hugo's friendship by being sorted into _Slytherin. _As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Rose felt ashamed of herself. Albus couldn't really help where he was sorted, and it hadn't ruined their friendship at all. She needed to pull herself together, she needed to –

"I think she's gone mad," Hugo whispered to Lily, who nodded solemnly. "Too much studying, you know? Dad always said – "

"Oh shut up Hugo!" Rose snapped, and standing up, she shot her brother a withering glare. "I'm going to the Prefects' carriage. You two behave." They broke out in whispers as soon as her back was turned.

By the time she reached the Prefects' carriage, having threaded her way through numerous pale-faced first years and a couple of quarrelling third years, Rose was in such a foul mood she was ready to hex the first person who crossed her. Slamming the door to the carriage open, she threw herself onto a seat and thanked Merlin she was alone. That was until –

"Little early isn't it Weasley?"

She darted from her seat, staring at the speaker with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. It would just so happen that Scorpius Malfoy was already here, wouldn't it? First Hugo, now Scorpius…couldn't a girl get some peace and solitude around here?

Gradually, the shock of his presence began to wear off and something else registered in her brain. He had actually spoken to her. It had to be the first time – yes, it definitely was – that he had addressed her directly since she slapped him. She had almost forgotten what his voice sounded like, it had been so long.

"I…I…"

"Please don't give yourself a seizure," he said disdainfully, looking out of the window at the passing scenery. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for your sudden and untimely death."

Rose was so stunned by his speech, she barely registered what he was saying. He had been purposely avoiding contact with her and going out of his way not to speak to her since their conversation almost six months ago, and now here he was, snarking at her as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened between them. As if he'd had his memory wiped during the summer. Well no, that wasn't quite right. His tone was _definitely _colder than it used to be and he wasn't quite meeting her eye. She stared at him for so long he raised his eyebrows at her.

"What?"

"You're...talking," she stammered.

"Well done," Scorpius' voice dripped with sarcasm. "You've finally discovered that I own a voice."

"To me," she said, wishing her own ability to speak hadn't deserted her at this crucial juncture. "You're talking to me."

"Yes I suppose I am," he sighed and turned his head away from her. "I'll stop now."

"What are you doing here?" she asked a little bullishly, still not moving to sit down.

"I'm a Prefect, in case you've forgotten."

"I know _that,_" she snapped. "But I mean, why are you here now? The meeting's not for at least another quarter of an hour. Shouldn't you be off with…" she was going to say Albus but bit off at the last minute. "With people," she finished lamely.

He frowned. "I don't know if you've ever noticed," he said in a weary voice. "But I'm not exactly popular with the 'people' as you call them."

"Huh?" she stared at him in confusion. Scorpius Malfoy, not popular? "Come off it Malfoy. Every time I see you you're surrounded by a gaggle of admirers."

"No, every time you see me I'm with _Albus, _who is surrounded by a gaggle of admirers," he smirked humourlessly and folded his arms. "Your reaction to my presence is pretty typical, actually."

She was a little taken back by his dejected tone. "I don't believe you," she replied stubbornly. "I've seen_ plenty_ of girls fawning over you."

"Ah yes, girls I don't have a problem with," he said, an unreadable expression on his face. "_Some _girls, anyway."

Before she could reply to this strange comment, the compartment door slid open and Albus strode in, looking pleased with himself. "Scorp, there you are, I've been looking for you everywhere. You'll never guess what I've – " he spotted Rose and broke off, looking between the two of them. She bit her lip and pleaded silently with him not to shun her in front of Scorpius. She didn't think she could stand the shame if he did. "Oh, hi Rose."

"Hi," she said weakly.

Albus hesitated, then sat down next to his best friend. Rose sat too, reasoning with herself that she shouldn't feel uncomfortable. After all, this was the Prefects' carriage, she had just as much right to be here as Scorpius and Albus. _More _than Al in fact, seeing as he wasn't even a Prefect.

There was an uncomfortable pause, before Albus resumed his story. "Well, yeah, I bewitched the toilets at the end of the train so that all the boys read the sign 'girls' as 'boys' instead," her cousin smirked, and Rose was forcibly reminded of Scorpius. "Jackson Lobek's already been Bat-Bogied from walking in there. How many more victims do you think I'll claim before it gets discovered?"

Any other day, Rose would have scolded her cousin for his bad behaviour, then stormed off to set the charm right. But she was so relieved that he was acting normal around her that she didn't dare tell him off. A small voice in her head told her she was a coward, but the larger part clobbered it with a broomstick, and it fell silent.

"None," said Scorpius, standing up with a rueful grin. "Because I'm going to go and change it back." Albus' face fell, and he made a choking sound, but Scorpius shrugged. "I'm a Prefect mate, I've got to or it'd be my head on the line. Shouldn't have told me." He left before either Albus or Rose could protest, engulfing them in awkward silence.

Rose took a deep breath. It was now or never. She had to apologise to Albus and make up with him, or she might not get another chance.

"Albus I – "

"S'okay," he said gruffly. He had grown exponentially in the past twelve months, and now seemed about twice as large as he used to. Playing Chaser on the Slytherin team had hardened his otherwise rather gangly frame, and he had lost the youthful softness of his cheeks. He looked more and more like his father every time she saw him, particularly after a break over the summer. She only hoped his emerging good looks didn't inflate his ego any further; he was already famous for being a Potter, Rose wasn't sure her stomach could handle his fan club growing any larger.

"You haven't even heard what I was going to say," she whined, although she could tell from his expression that it was going to be alright.

Albus half smiled. "You're going to apologise for being such a prat, and I'm going to apologise for being an equal idiot over summer. And then you're going to get all soppy and hug and we'll be friends again."

"Oh Al!" she practically threw herself on him. Tears flooded her face in relief. "I've missed you so much. You have _no_ idea."

"Yeah, I've missed you too," he said, then pinched her cheek. "You are my favourite cousin, after all."

"Well I – " but she never got to finish, for at that moment the door flew open once more, and Rose saw Scorpius with such an uncharacteristically fearful expression on his face that she felt her stomach swoop with unease. Albus jumped up, his wand already in his hand.

"What is it?" he demanded, but Scorpius just gestured for them to come with him and vanished down the corridor. Rose and Albus followed without a word.

There had obviously been quite a commotion. Luggage was strewn everywhere, a pair of owls were hooting angrily from beneath the mounds of clothes and schoolbooks, and a fearsome looking ginger cat hissed in fury at the freed contents of a wizarding chess set which had been upended in the turmoil and were now trying to attack it. Amidst the turmoil, Professor Longbottom was hauling two students up by their ears, his face crimson with fury.

"Never in all my years at Hogwarts – " he shouted at the two boys, both of whom looked surly and a little shamefaced. It was only then that Rose, her heart hammering rather wildly, caught sight of a third figure, half-hidden by the piles of bags around him, lying slumped on the floor. He was unconscious, his face bloody and bruised, and his arm poking outwards at a sickening angle. With a horrible lurch, Rose recognised him as Hunter Macnair, and she realised that these were the same third years she had pushed past earlier on her way to the Prefects' carriage. If only she had stopped and paid attention to what they were saying…

Suddenly feeling unsteady on her feet, she reached out and clasped Albus' hand. Except…Rose turned her head so quickly her neck cricked, and found a pair of startled grey eyes boring into her own. Scorpius' face was blank with shock. Hurriedly, she yanked her hand from his, feeling the warmth of his contact evaporate.

"Rose, Scorpius," Professor Longbottom had caught sight of them. "Could you please take Hunter up to Madam Pomfrey at the front of the train? Quickly now," he said, a note of urgency in his voice. Scorpius nodded once and scooped the boy into his arms as effortlessly as if he weighed nothing at all. He gave a quick nod to Albus, who was leaning against the wall looking stunned, before marching away up the corridor. Rose hurried behind him, trying to be useful by snapping at people to get out of the way.

Madam Pomfrey gave a small 'oh' of shock upon seeing the battered body of Macnair, but quickly settled into a professional manner, bustling about, waving her wand and barking instructions at Scorpius. Although very old, she was nevertheless an incredibly efficient witch, and the situation was under control in a matter of minutes. Rose tried to help but instead ended up getting in the way, so she stood in the corner, watching the frail, pale boy on the makeshift hospital bed, his body shaking and rasping with each breath. Slowly, as the pain relief potion began to take hold, his tortured breathing slowed, and a slight shadow seemed to lift from his young face. Rose was having trouble using her brain. He was such a small boy, undersized even for a third-year, mousy haired, inconspicuous, she'd never even noticed him before. She should have prevented this, she should have done something, she should –

"Thank you Scorpius, I think that will do. I'll do what I can for him while we're travelling, and then when we get to Hogwarts I can fix him properly, poor boy. Who would've thought…on the train…quite a shock." She bustled toward them, and Rose realised they were being dismissed. But for some reason her legs didn't seem to want to move. She stood, paralysed, for what felt like hours, her eyes glazed and staring unseeingly at Macnair, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Rose," Scorpius steered her firmly out of the compartment, his grip strong and sure. "Let's go back to the Prefects' carriage."

"I should – " why was she finding it so difficult to breathe? Her parents were war heroes, and here she was nearly fainting at the sight of blood. "I should help. I have to –" she slumped against the wall and covered her face with her hands. Merlin, she was pathetic.

"Hunter will be fine," Scorpius said, his voice calm and soothing. Rose peered through her fingers at him and caught such a strange expression on his face that for a moment she thought she must have fainted and started hallucinating. But then she blinked and it was gone. "There's nothing you can do."

"But…" she struggled to put her thoughts into words. It seemed odd that she should be standing here having this conversation with Scorpius, and yet right, in a twisted way, even though he was the last person she would have thought to talk to. "I could have helped him. I saw those boys arguing in the corridor, and I just walked straight past. If I'd stopped and listened, then maybe I could've – "

"Rose."

" – done something. I could have stopped them."

"Rose."

"And then he wouldn't be hurt," she almost sobbed, ignoring him. Now that she had started talking she couldn't seem to stop. "If I hadn't been so caught up in my own stupid problems, worrying about stuff that doesn't even matter and – "

"Rose!" He said her name with an intensity that made her stop mid-sentence. "You can't do everything. Albus walked past them too, and he didn't notice anything either."

"And I was so _useless,_" she felt compelled to add. "I just stood there without doing anything and – "

"He was messed up," he said. "It was enough to scare anyone. You don't see that every day."

"But _you _didn't fall to pieces like a child," she pointed out a little resentfully.

Scorpius shrugged, and his eyes seemed to darken. "Yeah, well that's not the first time I've seen something like that." He bit his lip, as if annoyed with himself for speaking.

Rose stared at him in wariness, her own insecurities forgotten. "Where?"

He hesitated. "My Dad's Pensieve."

"Oh," was all she could think to say. "He let – "

"He doesn't know I looked," Scorpius replied, his lips pursed thinly, as though to try and stop the words escaping. But there was a defiance in his eyes when he looked at her. "They were out, and…I couldn't help myself. I've never told him."

They were alone in their part of the train, and Rose had to stifle an irrational urge to draw closer to him. She imagined Scorpius, alone in Malfoy Manor, delving into his father's dark past, and a little shudder went up her spine. She had heard from her parents some of what had happened during the War, knew there had been death and fear, but she was sure they kept a lot of the darker events from her. She couldn't help but wonder what Scorpius had seen.

"I'm…" she faltered, unsure what to say. Sorry your father was a Death Eater? Sorry he partook in the horror of Voldemort's reign? Rose's lungs swelled with the inadequacy of anything she could say. "Sorry."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes at her as if suspicious that she may be mocking him. Then he smirked, and seemed to shake himself. "Not your fault is it?" he cocked his head in the direction they'd come from. "So maybe we should get back to the Prefects' carriage. We're probably late by now."

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><p><strong>AN: As ever, let me know what you think. Now I'm off to study for my exams :(**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All of it belongs to Rowling. **

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><p>They were indeed several minutes late to the Prefects' briefing, but Professor Millew waved away their apologies with a smile. Almost as if by remote control, Rose and Scorpius separated the moment they walked in, each of them taking their usual seats as far apart as possible from one another. Charlie Corner, a sixth year Ravenclaw Prefect, gave her a nod and a smile when she sat next to him, which she returned. Other than that nobody paid her much attention as they waited for the meeting to commence.<p>

"Welcome, Prefects, to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Professor Millew was a short, stern looking witch, with a bob of grey hair and bright blue eyes. Her robes were always crisp and immaculate and smelt of fresh laundering. She had taken over from Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration when the former had been appointed Headmistress. "I trust your summers were enjoyable and productive?"

There was murmured agreement. Rose was purposely avoiding looking at Scorpius, who had sat next to his female Prefect counterpart, Flora Bletchley, and was whispering something in her ear to make her giggle.

"Very good," remarked Professor Millew primly. "Of course, the usual rules and procedures apply this year as always. Sixth years, I expect you all to help the fifth year Prefects adjust to their roles and assist them in any way they require. And of course we should congratulate our new Head Boy and Girl, Eliza Macmillan and Todd Sprout."

There was polite applause. Rose didn't know either Head very well, but she smiled at them encouragingly all the same. Maybe, just maybe, that would be her next year…

"Seeing as the horrific and apparently unprovoked attack on Hunter Macnair moments ago has made this rather topical, I may as well begin with the most important announcement of the year." Rose, who had only been half-listening, turned her full attention to the teacher, as did the rest of the Prefects. News of the attack must have spread like fiendfyre through the train, as none of them seemed the slightest bit confused at the mention of Macnair. "The Headmistress has decided that this year, in order to foster harmony between the four Houses of Hogwarts, and prevent outbreaks of prejudice, each Prefect should be paired with a Prefect from another House for weekly lessons in tolerance and understanding."

There was a long silence as the students absorbed this information. Some of them looked scared, others annoyed. Rose was staring incredulously at the Professor. Weekly classes? On top of everything else she had to do? Surely it was some kind of joke…

"We've prepared a list with the pairs of students," continued Professor Millew, and with a wave of her wand she conjured a list of names in each Prefect's hands. "As Prefects you will be required to set a good example to the rest of the school with respect to inter-House harmony. We hope," she gave them all a penetrating look, "to prevent any more attacks or fights between the Houses."

But Rose had stopped listening. She was staring at the parchment in her hand with a mixture of horror, anger, and a growing sense of hysteria. Her own name glared up at her in elegant, loopy handwriting, while opposite it were the words she had been dreading…_Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. _

"No," she said out loud, and the entire room fell silent, looking at her. She blushed. "I mean – uh…" she could see Scorpius looking at her with a blank expression, and she knew that he knew exactly why she had spoken. For some reason that made her feel worse than all the curious eyes already focused on her.

"Is something wrong, Miss Weasley?" asked Professor Millew.

Rose shook her head vigorously. As much as she couldn't even begin to contemplate weekly 'lessons' with Malfoy, she wasn't cruel enough to say that in front of everyone. Although she had an awful feeling that most of the Prefects had figured it out for themselves already, as there were a great many meaningful looks being sent around the room. Scorpius was staring out the window, his jaw tight.

"Very well then, if no one else has any interruptions to make, I'll continue with what I was saying. It is up to the individual pairs to arrange a time to meet each week. The meetings will not be supervised, but the Headmistress expects a full report at the end of the year detailing what lessons have been learnt. If the trial proves successful, the program may be extended to other students, so it is imperative that everyone here makes a full and genuine effort to engage themselves with the spirit of the exercise." Rose could have sworn the Professor's eyes flicked in her direction as she said this.

It was no matter, she told herself, as the conversation moved on to more mundane things, such as patrol schedules and the updated list of banned and restricted items. She would simply have to go and talk to Professor McGonagall. In fact, she could do that as soon as she got to Hogwarts, and explain that she and Scorpius couldn't possibly be partnered for this _experiment. _They were just too…incompatible. Yes, that would solve it. Then she could go back to ignoring him as usual.

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><p>"<em>No, <em>Miss Weasley."

"But Professor – "

"The answer is no." McGonagall shuffled a pile of papers on her desk in a dismissive manner. "And it will not change."

Rose looked at her Headmistress in exasperation. After more than 70 years of teaching at Hogwarts, she was a wiry, wizened witch, with a tight bun of grey hair and a heavily lined but still formidable visage. In her age she had shrunk somewhat, and there were deep grooves etched around her mouth and eyes. This did not, however, make her any less intimidating to the students.

"The situation between Mr Malfoy and yourself is a perfect example of why these measures are necessary to begin with. Two exemplary, talented students bearing such a grudge should not be tolerated."

"But his father – "

"I _think,_" McGonagall interrupted her, nostrils flaring, and Rose knew she was close to pushing her Headmistress too far. "That I know a little bit more about Draco Malfoy than yourself, Miss Weasley. Or have you forgotten that I taught both Draco _and_ your parents during their time at Hogwarts?"

Rose shook her head. She had not forgotten. Her parents – in particular her father – were full of stories involving the terror of an angered Professor McGonagall. It seemed as if she were now experiencing it firsthand.

"My dear," McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly. It was very late, after all. Rose had had to wait until after the Sorting, the Feast, and then the helping of the first years to Gryffindor Tower, before she was free to come and plead her case against being paired with Scorpius. From the looks of it, she needn't have bothered. "I understand the history between your parents and Malfoy's, honestly I do." She held up a hand before Rose could interrupt. "But on this issue I'm afraid I simply cannot compromise. You must know that both you and Scorpius are in serious contention for the positions of Head Boy and Girl next year?"

Rose opened her mouth and then closed it again, unable to think of anything to say. She was simultaneously delighted at hearing she was being considered, and horrified that Scorpius was as well. Did he really have to match her in everything?

"And, as you are also well aware," continued McGonagall. "It's customary for the Head Boy and Girl to share their own private common room, separate from the other Houses. So, it is of utmost importance that both you and Mr Malfoy learn to get along with one another. Just in case."

"But I really can't stand him!" cried Rose petulantly, feeling somewhat like a petulant child that's been told to go to bed. She knew she was being unreasonable, but her mind was full of the prospect of a thousand weekly lessons with Scorpius, his handsome, cocky face, his smirk, his smart-aleck replies, his –

"Well, Miss Weasley, there are many people I 'can't stand' with whom I still interact on a day to day basis," sniffed McGonagall. "It is all part of growing up and becoming a responsible member of the Wizarding community. And you never know, you might actually learn something in the process." She waved her hand and the door swung open. "Good night Rose."

"Quite right too," she heard Phineas Nigellus exclaim from his portrait on the wall, as she slouched resignedly out of the office and down the revolving stone staircase. "An excellent young wizard, is Scorpius. A true credit to his family."

Rose rolled her eyes. Oh, it was going to be a long year.

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><p>Despite the inconvenience of the latest scheme at promoting inter-House unity by the Headmistress, and her unfortunate pairing for it, Rose was more than glad to be back at Hogwarts for another year. She felt comfortable and at home in the castle, especially now that she knew her way around all the useful shortcuts, and was on good terms with her teachers and <em>most <em>of her fellow classmates (excluding a few unsavoury Slytherins). It was a home away from home and she was glad of every familiar sight, from Nearly Headless Nick floating serenely past to Hagrid striding across the grounds, to the eccentric portraits on the walls and the gaggles of students, both old and new, filling the corridors.

Currently she was in Charms, listening as Professor Spitflick instructed them all on the correct movement to conjure a water stream from their wands_. _She already knew the theory from reading the textbook over summer, and was simply waiting for a chance to practice. Eventually, the Professor instructed them to pair up and begin attempting it amongst themselves. Rose turned instinctively to Dominique, when a masculine voice cut across her.

"Partner, Rose?" someone who wasn't her cousin asked from her other side. She turned to see Charlie Corner, the Ravenclaw Prefect who had smiled at her on the train, looking at her with a hopeful smile. Dom nudged her unsubtly in the ribs and turned to partner with Daisy Hopkins, leaving Rose somewhat perplexed as to what was going on.

"Umm, sure," she said, and picked up from her wand from the table. Charlie grinned warmly and did the same.

"I hope you don't mind," he said as they positioned their wand tips above the bowls Professor Spitflick had conjured for them. "It's just, you're the smartest witch in our year, and…well, I wanted to practice with the best."

Rose blushed at his compliment. Looking past Charlie, she caught the eye of Lorcan Scamander, her old Ravenclaw friend. They had grown apart a little in the previous year, mostly from an increased work load and not having as much time to socialise outside of their Houses, but Rose still considered him a good friend. So she was surprised to find him looking less than pleased with her. She shot him a questioning look but he merely scowled and turned back to his partner.

"What's wrong?" asked Charlie, catching her confused expression. His eyebrows drew together in a concerned frown.

"Oh, nothing," she shook her head and focused on the task. "_Aguamenti,_" she said, copying the movements the Professor had shown them earlier with careful precision. To her displeasure, only a brief spurt of water shot out, spraying so strongly it overshot the bowl and spilled onto the table. Rose clicked her tongue in annoyance. It was more than most of the class had managed so far, but she knew she could have done better if she'd concentrated harder. Curse Lorcan and his strange attitude.

"Hey, that's really good," said Charlie encouragingly, trying himself and managing the smallest trickle, just three drops. He grimaced and swept his dark brown hair off of his forehead. They took turns for a while in silence.

"So, have you started your lessons yet?"

It took Rose a while to figure out what he was talking about. Then she remembered; the inter-House Harmony lessons. "Uh, not yet," she said guiltily. Truth be told, she had been avoiding thinking about it. She and Scorpius were ignoring each other as usual, and she saw no reason to disturb that until it was absolutely necessary. "We're just…waiting for the opportune moment."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah? They're not much fun, huh? Who are you partnered with?"

"Malfoy." She attempted another stream and got a slightly gentler spurt of water than before.

"Really?" Charlie's eyebrows shot up. "That's too bad. He's such a jerk."

Rose gave a noncommittal shrug. Even though she agreed, she wasn't really comfortable bagging on Scorpius with a guy she barely knew.

Charlie seemed oblivious to her hesitation. "He thinks he's better than everybody else just because his family's got a lot of money," he said spitefully. "You'd think after what his dad did in the war that he'd have a bit of humility, but he still thinks he's top – hey, you did it!"

Rose gave a smug smile as she watched the crystal clear water stream smoothly out of her wand and into the bowl. Looking around, she saw that she was the first to have perfected it, and allowed herself a moment of self-congratulation. Mostly, she was just glad to have stopped Charlie from discussing Scorpius. He was more interested in praising her now and seemed to have forgotten about Malfoy.

"Oh well done Miss Weasley," beamed Professor Spitflick, approaching their table and clapping enthusiastically. "Ten points to Gryffindor for succeeding so quickly. Now you can help Mr Corner with his technique. You're nearly there, boy, it's just the last flick that's troubling you," he informed Charlie, before bouncing over to inspect Dom and Daisy.

They continued on in practising for a while, before Charlie spoke again. "So…I hear your little brother's playing Beater for Gryffindor this year," he said conversationally, swiping a little too vigorously with his wand and sending a splash of water in her direction. "Oh man, I'm so sorry, here," he used a corner of his robe to dab at her arm.

"It's okay," she said, waving away his apologies with a smile. "Yeah, Hugo tried out on the weekend. I'm glad he got in, he's been practising all summer."

"Well, lucky for him his cousin is Captain huh?" said Charlie. "That certainly makes it easier."

She regarded him coldly. "You think he only got in because of James?" she asked in a frosty voice. Charlie flushed.

"Uh…no, of course not," he said quickly. "So, uh…do you like Quidditch."

"It's alright," she said, deciding to let his jibe pass. "My family's just a little obsessed, that's all. At least our dad will be happy, to see his son following his footsteps."

Charlie nodded. "You know my dad went out with your aunt," he said after a bit. When Rose just stared at him blankly he added, "Your dad's sister, Ginny."

"No way!" she exclaimed, attracting the attention of the Professor. Quickly, she lowered her voice. "I never knew that."

"Yeah, it was during fifth year," he said, seemingly relieved to have moved the conversation on to a different topic. "Only for a few month though. It was when they were both in Dumbledore's Army. My dad says your dad didn't like him because he was dating his sister."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like my dad. He can be a bit over-protective."

"Guess he'd give any guy who thought about dating you a pretty hard time, hey?" there was something about Charlie's question that made Rose's heart skip a beat. She fiddled with her wand, suddenly nervous.

"It depends. Are you a pureblood?"

"Nope," said Charlie.

"Well, you're probably alright then," she forced a smile. Charlie laughed and went back to practicing his spell. It took him until nearly the end of class until he had fully mastered it, along with around half the students. Dom was still having trouble getting her stream to last for more than a few seconds, and Peoria hadn't managed to get anything at all – she was banging her wand on the table and proclaiming loudly to anyone who would listen that she needed a new one. Rose chanced a glance over at Lorcan, but he wasn't looking at her and still seemed to be angry about something.

At that moment the bell rang to signal the end of class. Professor Spitflick vanished all the bowls with a wave of his wand and ordered them to read the necessary chapter in their textbook on conjuring liquids before the next class. "Guess this is where I leave you," said Charlie, with a self-conscious smile as they started to pack up. "I'll – I'll see you round then." He half turned to go before abruptly stopping, as if he'd remembered something. "Um, actually Rose, what – what are you doing next Hogsmeade weekend?"

Rose immediately felt her cheeks start to redden, and cursed herself for always blushing at the worst moments. "Nothing," she mumbled, trying for a mix between friendly and nonchalant.

Charlie seemed to relax a little at her words. "Okay, cool. So, did you…did you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next time we're allowed? We could get a butterbeer or – or visit the Shrieking Shack or…whatever you'd like." He looked at her nervously, and Rose found herself wanting to say yes.

"That would be really nice," she said, her heart fluttering when his face broke into a broad grin at her words.

"Awesome! I mean, uh, that's great. Well, I'll – I'll see you round," he walked backwards for a few steps, nearly tripping over a chair, gave her a half wave, then really did turn and begin walking away. Rose stayed where she was until he had left the classroom, then let out the breath she had been holding with relief. She was fairly sure – certain, in fact – that she had just been asked out on a date. She felt like squealing in excitement as she hurried to meet Dom, who was waiting for her at the door.

"Tell me," her cousin demanded as soon as they were in the corridor. "Tell me everything."

"It was nothing," said Rose, blushing. Catching Dom's infuriated expression, she smiled. "He just wanted me to go to Hogsmeade with him."

"Are you serious?" Dom squealed so loudly that a pair of first years scurrying past jumped in fright. "And you said yes, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Oh, I am _so _jealous," announced Dom dramatically. "Charlie Corner is the cutest Ravenclaw in school, now that Calvin's gone," she grinned and tossed her hair behind her shoulder, causing a few of the boys passing by to stop dead in their tracks.

Rose was about to reply when she caught sight of a group of Slytherins walking in the opposite direction towards them. Before she could stop herself, she had sought out the blonde in the centre, her blue eyes locking onto his grey ones. His expression was perfectly indifferent, and he broke her gaze after only a second, but Rose couldn't help the feeling of unease in her stomach, as if she just eaten something unpleasant. She shook her head to clear it. She was just imagining things.

"What's wrong?" asked Dominique. She swivelled around, trying to see what had caught Rose's attention, but Scorpius and his group had walked past them and Rose was looking fixedly ahead of her, giving nothing away.

"Nothing," she said, ignoring the churning in her gut. "Nothing at all."

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><p><strong>AN: Liked it? Hated it? Let me know :P**

**Till next time. ~A.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Sixth Year, Part Three_

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><p>Rose had been dreading this moment for weeks. It seemed the more she put it off, the greater her sense of horror at what was to come. Every time she sat in the Great Hall she saw him, sitting smugly with Albus at the Slytherin table, and a swoop of apprehension consumed her at what she was being forced to do. She told herself there was plenty of time, used every excuse and procrastination technique in her repertoire to convince herself she needn't worry about it just yet, until the Head Girl, Macmillan, told her sternly that she had better get a move on, and Rose realised she would be jeopardising her own chance at a Head position by delaying it any longer. There was simply nothing to be done but swallow her pride and get it over with.<p>

She approached the Slytherin table as inconspicuously as possible, her back ramrod straight and her vision slightly unfocused from the effort of not making eye contact with anyone. Although she had waited until the very end of breakfast to ensure a minimum audience to what she was about to do, there were still enough people present to make her cringe with embarrassment. She rarely, if ever, joined the Slytherins during meal times, despite the fact that Albus was there and it would not have been unprecedented for her to sit with him. She had just…never felt the need to associate with him in that way. They spent plenty of time together, but in the Great Hall wasn't one of them. It wasn't like any of the Slytherins wanted her at their table anyway. She could practically feel the hostility radiating from some of them as she approached.

Both Scorpius and Albus had their eyebrows raised by the time she got there. Not for the first time, Rose contemplated turning and abandoning the plan; she could always seek out Scorpius later, between classes, or after Quidditch practise, or…but no, she had chosen to get it over with now, and in front of enough people so he couldn't say or do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. It had been nearly a month since she their strange eye contact in the corridor after Charms, and although he appeared perfectly indifferent to her existence whenever she crossed him afterwards, she really didn't want to be alone with Scorpius Malfoy any more than she had to.

She gave a curt nod upon reaching their table, and the two boys cracked near identical grins. Ignoring this, Rose steeled herself and began.

"Malfoy…we, need, lessons," she choked out, enunciating each word so heavily it sounded as if she was having trouble breathing properly. Scorpius was smirking obnoxiously now, and even Albus was laughing at her. No doubt she had turned bright red. But it was too late to back out now, and if there was one thing Rose Weasley would never do, it was run away to save face.

"Oh," was all he said, and she could have cursed him for not helping her and drawing out her pain.

"Yes," she grit out. "What, time, is good?"

Scorpius cocked his head to the side, as if considering her question. Albus was snorting into his bacon and eggs. She shot him a withering look. Really, he should be more supportive of her; he _was _her cousin, after all. What good was family if they were just going to laugh along with the rest of them when you were in a tight spot? Maybe he was still a little angry with her about the whole summer thing.

"Well…" Scorpius drawled, and Rose's attention snapped back to him. He was looking devious, and she didn't like it. "I have Quidditch practice three nights a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but sometimes more if an important match is coming up. Then I have ordinary Prefect duties on Tuesday and Thursday, including patrolling the corridors which can often last all evening and discussing petty squabbles with the younger members of my House. I have homework, socialising, girls and of course general free time to fit in on those nights as well. Saturday mornings, I sleep in; Saturday afternoons I have Quidditch practise, a Quidditch match, Hogsmeade or detention supervision. Sunday I play Wizarding Chess, tutor Slytherin third-years, write my parents, and plan schemes with Albus. So when would you suggest we have these 'lessons,' hmm?"

Rose blinked at him. He had delivered his speech in a flat, monotone voice, but his eyes were sparkling. She had no idea what to say to him, so she merely stood there for a minute, blinking. What was he trying to prove? She had a busy schedule as well, and it wasn't as if these blasted 'lessons' were even her idea. She was just as reluctant as he was!

"I – oh, just give me your timetable," she hissed at him at last. "Then I'll figure out a good time. And you _don't _have the right to skip, Malfoy. So just deal with it!"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Well, since you asked so nicely…"

"This isn't about asking nicely. This isn't a choice!" What part of this was he not understanding? "We've been ordered to undertake these lessons by Professor McGonagall, and so we _have _to find the time for them. Trust me, my schedule's much busier than yours." Okay, so maybe that was a lie, but it didn't matter anyway right? "There's no need to act as if you're the only person in this school with homework and a few extracurricular activities you know."

"Honestly Weasley, do you get this worked up about everything, or do you save your infuriating best just for me?"

Rose looked to Albus to see what he thought of Scorpius' attitude _now, _only to find her cousin engrossed in conversation with another Slytherin. Evidently, he had lost interest in what they were discussing. Easy for him…

"For your information, Malfoy," she said haughtily, turning back to Scorpius. "I have a reputation as a good and conscientious student to uphold, and I'd appreciate it if that wasn't sullied by your own lack of intelligence." His eyes darkened with annoyance at the low dig, but she was too angry to care. "If you can't understand why we need to have these meetings, then take it up with the Headmistress. Don't make _my_ life difficult."

Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm making _your _life difficult?"

"Just give me your timetable!"

He looked amused. "I don't have one."

"What?" She stared at him blankly, processing this information. How could he not have a timetable? How could he function? Her organiser was possibly her most precious possession, after her wand. She couldn't even imagine being without it. "How…odd. Well, make one then, and send it to me. And do it quickly, otherwise we'll get in trouble for not starting quick enough, and I _will _tell them it was because of your disorganisation."

He glowered at her. It was quite a formidable sight and Rose was suddenly thankful to be in a room full of people. "How about you give me _your _timetable, and _I _decide on a good time for us."

It was, at face value, a reasonable request. But Rose felt strangely reluctant to show him her organiser. It was a very personal document to her, detailing where she would be when, and all the important dates of her life. However, she was almost certainly running late for class now, and couldn't really afford to stand here arguing with Scorpius much longer. She also didn't want him to think she was afraid to show him her diary. So she shoved a hand into one of her robe pockets and drew out the carefully folded piece of parchment, before thrusting it at Scorpius. He took it and perused it, grey eyes intent.

Albus turned back to them then and stood up. He grinned at Rose, and she returned the smile. Honestly, it was impossible to stay mad at Albus Potter for very long. Rose couldn't help but feel a little manipulated by his endearing personality at times, but she knew that Albus didn't really mean it. He was just a naturally charming person. He stretched luxuriously, then clapped Scorpius on the back. "We're gonna be late to class. Coming?"

Malfoy nodded once and got to his feet. He handed the timetable back to Rose, without saying anything.

"Well?" she asked when it didn't appear as if he would speak.

"Mondays, straight after class. Meet in the library." He turned to go.

"But, wait," she called out, confused. "It's…Monday today."

The grin he shot over his shoulder at her was positively wicked. "So I'll see you after class," he said, before walking away from her and out of the Great Hall. Rose stared at his retreating back, and suppressed a groan. Suddenly her day was looking a lot less appealing than it had half an hour ago.

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><p>It had been a very long day. Rose sat half slumped in a chair towards the back of the library, hidden from most of the other students by shelves of books. It hadn't started well, what with her talk with Malfoy and then running late for class because of it. Then Professor Binns, who had been substitute teacher in Defence Against the Dark Arts for over a week while their usual teacher Professor Doogle was sick with Scrofungulus, had bored them all silly with a clause-by-clause recital of the unabridged Russian Werewolf Treaty of 1527. Rose refused on principle to succumb to daydreams like the rest of her classmates, but by the end of class she could see no relevance for any of it and had developed a piercing headache that persisted for the rest of the day. During lunch, she had been forced to listen in detail to Dominique's latest relationship drama, Hugo had put Weasley's Extra-Wriggly Worms in her soup, and the Head Girl had sought her out to ask if she could do an extra patrol on Tuesday night. Then in Potions, the fumes from her Black Fire potion made her eyes water until she couldn't see and her partner, Brienne Crowley, had been too busy making moony eyes at Scorpius to even <em>pretend <em>to help her. The only good thing about the entire day had been having a free as her last lesson of the afternoon.

Sighing, Rose allowed the pages of the book in front of her to grow blurry and unfocused. The calm and quiet of the Library never ceased to comfort her, but today she was on edge and couldn't even seem to relax enough to read. Any moment now Scorpius was going to walk in the door and then she would have to endure an hour of learning about the virtues of Slytherins. It was really quite unfair to have her sanctuary tainted with this unpleasant experience. Perhaps she would suggest another meeting place for next week…

Lost in thought, she didn't even notice Scorpius' presence until he tapped her on the shoulder from behind, causing her to jerk in fright and drop her book onto the table with a thud. He smirked, clearly satisfied with her reaction, and slid in across from her, looking as poised and perfect as ever and not at all as if he had just come from a long day of classes. Rose bit back a snarl.

"Nice of you to show up," she said snidely, though he was in fact perfectly on time. She had just been able to arrive a little early due to her free period. Whatever.

Scorpius didn't reply, instead choosing to stare at her with an expression caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation. She waited for him to speak, or at least do _something, _but he appeared quite content to sit there and watch her. The green of his Slytherin tie seemed to jump out at her against the grey, black and white of the rest of his uniform.

"So…" she said at last, after the silence had stretched long enough, "What's your opinion on the best way to co-ordinate these lessons? I was thinking – "

"Talk."

"What?" she stared at him for any signs of humour, but he remained straight faced.

"Talk," he repeated unhelpfully.

"Yes, ha ha, you're very funny," she replied with heavy sarcasm. "But I was thinking that – "

"No I'm serious," he interjected. "We should just talk."

Rose gave him her best glare. "Well, _obviously, _there will be some degree of verbal communication required for this _exercise. _But I was thinking along more practical lines of…" she trailed off when he leant back in his chair with a sigh, eyes rolling to the ceiling. Why that arrogant, know-it-all, no good piece of –

With a deep breath, she forced her rather partisan thoughts to the back of her mind. Now was not the time to lose her temper. Now was the time for cool, calm, and collected. Just like McGonagall said, a valuable lesson in dealing with irritating prats.

"Okay Malfoy," she said sweetly, causing him to narrow his eyes at her. "Let's follow your idea then. You can talk first."

To her surprise, he leant forward eagerly. Something about the keenness of his stare made her wary. "About last year…" he began.

Yep, wariness justified. Rose stared at him blankly, trying to ignore that her heart rate had suddenly picked up. "Umm," she looked at the desk, all of a sudden unable to meet his eyes. He had to bring this up now? She had considered that topic of conversation officially finished, if in fact it had ever existed to begin with.

"I wanted to apologise," his tone was more hesitant now. Good. "What I said was inappropriate." Rose gave a small nod; you could say that again. "But so was what you did."

"What!" she raised her head sharply and gaped at him. He was chewing on his bottom lip like he was considering something. "How dare – "

"But it's true," he said carefully, using a slow voice as though enunciating a self-evident fact to a particularly dim-witted student. "You kissed me, and you shouldn't have if you were unprepared for the consequences."

She sneered at him. "I didn't _kiss _you!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Dabbling in memory modification now Weasley? I'm not sure that's allowed." She gave a low growl of anger and he chuckled. "So why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Rose was glad now for her foresight in choosing one of the desks at the very back of the library, separating them from the main study area by several rows of bookshelves. She didn't want anyone overhearing this conversation.

"Kiss me."

"I was drunk!" she forced out, because clearly he was not going to drop it until she did. But he only shook his head.

"Sorry, that just doesn't cut it for me," he said. "I think you're making excuses. The alcohol just allowed you what you really wanted but didn't have the guts to do otherwise, that's all." His grey eyes were absolutely piercing hers; she could almost feel the burn of his stare.

"I…don't…how can you…that's…ugh!" she was beyond outrage at his conceit and arrogance. And how dare he put these words in her mouth and analyse her actions as if she were some transparent, vapid bimbo. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she finally managed to choke out.

"You're attracted to me, you're just afraid to admit it," he said stubbornly, but Rose pressed her lips together and looked down at the table, refusing to be drawn into any more of this ludicrous _talking. _They were here to promote inter-House harmony, not indulge in confessional nonsense. Besides, he was wrong, utterly, and was clearly only trying to provoke her. She didn't _want _to kiss him, what rot. Okay, so maybe she had enjoyed it a little, or a little more than a little, but that didn't meanshe was _attracted _to him for Merlin's sake! Perhaps it was all part of his scheme to have her chances for Head Girl scuttled, she thought savagely. Yes, that would suit Malfoy perfectly, if he could sabotage her prospects at success and ensure his own at the same time. Rose narrowed her eyes, forcing her thoughts in this rather more calming direction.

Scorpius sat back in his seat, perhaps sensing that he wasn't going to get anything more out of her, and Rose gave an imperceptible sigh that he finally seemed to have exhausted his enthusiasm for tormenting her. She fiddled with a page of the book she had been reading earlier, contemplating her next words carefully.

"I would really appreciate it," she said once a sufficient time of silence had passed. "If we could fulfil these lessons in an amicable and co-operative manner. I know it's difficult, but I think it would be easier for both of us if we followed instructions and didn't annoy each other…at least as little as possible. Don't you agree?"

When he didn't reply, Rose chanced a glance at him. He was looking at the table, his expression quite bored, and his eyes glazed in such a way that suggested he hadn't heard a thing she had just said.

"Okay," she tried again. "Here's what we'll do. Each of us will spend the next twenty minutes writing down the virtues of their House – so I'll do Gryffindor and you do Slytherin. And remember to include examples that illustrate your claims. Then, at the end of the lesson, we'll swap them and compare. Does that sound good?"

"Thrilling," he drawled, still focused on the table. Rose shoved a piece of parchment and her quill under his nose, as it didn't appear that he had brought his school things with him, then leant down to rummage in her bag for her own spare quill. By the time she emerged with it, Scorpius was bent over his parchment, scribbling furiously. Rose shook her head and set to her own list.

She soon discovered it was harder than she had anticipated to find concrete examples of Gryffindor virtues. Sure, there were the obvious ones, such as 'bravery', but still, beyond her own parents' adventures when they were at school, there just weren't a great deal of virtues displayed by the students of Hogwarts in day to day life. Everyone was too busy studying, she supposed, to worry about things like 'sacrifice' or 'daring.' Perhaps she was being a little harsh in judging the Slytherins…

Looking up, she saw Scorpius draw his wand and tap his parchment several times. Then he raised his head, caught her watching him and gave her such a contemptuous look that she blushed furiously and lowered her eyes again. "Done," he said, standing up and stalking off so abruptly Rose didn't have the chance to say anything before he had vanished behind a bookshelf. She sniffed, reminding herself that she had always known Scorpius Malfoy was a prat and therefore shouldn't be surprised by his prattish behaviour.

It took her a little while to realise that her own parchment was still sitting before her, having been singularly ignored by Malfoy. Well, so much for that exercise. With a sigh she rolled her 'Gryffindor Virtues' list back up and stuffed it in her backpack, then dragged Scorpius' over to her side of the table. Her mouth promptly fell open; small, animated ink figures zoomed and whizzed across the parchment, enacting some kind of scene on a continuous loop. As Rose looked more closely, she realised the miniature people represented were Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch players, and the action sequence showed a goal being scored by the Slytherins – by Albus, it seemed – while in the foreground Scorpius beat the Gryffindor Seeker and caught the Snitch, whirling round and shaking his fist triumphantly. The Gryffindor players slumped dramatically and began to sink, before they all froze, and the scene dissolved and repeated. Rose stared at it for several minutes, secretly impressed by the level of magic Scorpius had demonstrated to be able to bewitch such a complicated drawing. Even if it wasn't what he was supposed to be doing.

Rose had half rolled the drawing up when her attention was caught by a small figure in the bottom corner, hurriedly sketched as if as an afterthought. She peered at it, and felt her heart swoop uncomfortably; there was no mistaking that the figure was her. Her hair was exaggeratedly bushy, and she had a rather pointed and unattractive face, but it was her nevertheless. In contrast to the immense Quidditch scene played out above her, sketch-Rose's action was quite simple. She gathered more than a dozen thick books into her arms, so that they wobbled like a tower in front of her, then promptly fell backwards and landed on her bum, the numerous books raining on top of her and hitting her several times in the head. Unperturbed, sketch-Rose clambered to her feet, brushed herself off, and began stacking the books once more. Rose watched as if in a trance as again and again her miniature self fell backwards and was clobbered with books, unable to tear her eyes away. There was a dull throb of hurt growing in her stomach, but she grit her teeth and swallowed it down. It was only a stupid drawing, and it was only Malfoy. Who cared what that git thought anyway?

Still, it was with a considerable moistness to her eyes that she packed the remainder of her things and hurried out of the Library.

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><p><strong>AN: My boyfriend and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary today. I also had a law exam. Yeah, been a crazy day :)**

**Hope you all enjoyed it. As ever, I'm a glutton for reviews. **


	11. Chapter 11

_Sixth Year, Part Four_

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><p>The rest of the week passed without much incident, at least in comparison to its rather turbulent beginnings. Rose attended her classes, Prefect duties, homework, and various other responsibilities. She made an effort to connect with her friends. Lorcan in particular she cornered between classes to ask why he was acting weird, but he merely shrugged and told her to forget it. He seemed less than pleased when she told him about Charlie's offer of a Hogsmeade date, which Rose found perplexing until she considered that maybe Lorcan liked Charlie himself. She didn't really care so long as they were back on good speaking terms.<p>

She ignored Scorpius. Indeed, she was feeling quite proud of the fact that she hadn't even glanced his way, not once, despite his continued presence in her peripheral vision. The spiteful animation still burned in her gut, but she chose to push it to the recesses of her mind for the time being, and when Albus asked how their first lesson went she simply shrugged and changed the topic. She didn't dare think about the following Monday, and whether she would act mad or offended or indifferent. In truth she wasn't sure whether Scorpius would even show up, and whether it would be a bad thing if he didn't.

When the time came, after a Monday much better than the last, Rose sat herself in the same seat she had a week previously, opened _Tabatha's Truncated Transfiguration _at a random page, and began to read. After a while she chanced a glance around her, but there was no one besides herself and a small boy currently on his tiptoes trying to reach a book on the upper shelf. Through the shelves she could see some of the other students studying, in groups or by themselves. She recognised Jeremy Trump, a tall Hufflepuff boy from her year with curly brown hair and a pleasant face. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up and shot her a grin which made her blush and return her eyes to the page.

The minutes ticked by in the dusty silence of the Library, and it soon became apparent that Scorpius wasn't going to come. The first year boy straining for the book grew redder and redder, huffing in frustration, before he gave up and stomped back to his friends. Rose watched him go, feeling slightly guilty for not helping him.

She was a little surprised that Scorpius had not bothered to turn up, since he _knew _how much trouble he could get into by skipping. Then again, she thought sourly, the Slytherin had never had much respect or appreciation for the rules, despite his Prefect status. He probably thought he was above that sort of mundane obedience, that his daddy could get him out of anything he didn't want to do. Rose sighed; while anger was certainly the easiest reaction to conjure, if she was honest with herself she was also a little disappointed at Scorpius' unwillingness to be reasonable. For a moment, on the train, it had seemed like they might have been able to make this work. But back at Hogwarts it was a different story – he seemed completely uninterested in being anything other than an insufferable arse. Perhaps she had been too optimistic about their ability to get along.

It was now almost half an hour past the scheduled start time of their meeting. As not even Scorpius had the gall to show up this late, it appeared as though Rose had her Monday afternoons to herself again. She was, technically, free to do whatever she wanted. Still, she couldn't seem to move from where she currently was. She justified this by saying that if any teacher realised that their inter-House meeting had fallen through, then _she _at least could claim to have done the right thing and thus avoid being punished, and that she had to study in any case, and where better to complete said study than in the Library she was currently sitting in?

Feeling a little better, Rose settled herself more comfortably in her chair, 'accio-ed' her water bottle from her bag, and went back to her reading. It was good, in a way, that Scorpius hadn't come – she didn't have time for his nonsense anyway.

* * *

><p>She had lost track of time. One chapter of <em>Truncated Transfiguration <em>had turned into another, which had turned into reading the rest of the book. After that she had Arithmancy homework, a Charms essay, and some light reading for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Then, all of a sudden, Madam Beauvoir was ushering her out of the library hissing about curfew, the corridors were deserted and the sky outside the castle windows was inky black and dotted with stars. Where did the time go? Rose shook her head and started the trudge to the dormitories, her stomach grumbling loudly over its missed dinner.

She hadn't gone very far, however, when she heard footsteps coming towards her from the opposite direction. She froze, unsure as to whether to hide somewhere or stay where she was. It was after hours, and she was technically breaking the rules by being out at this time. Then again, it had been an innocent mistake, and she was on her way back to bed at that very moment. There wasn't a teacher in Hogwarts who wouldn't accept her excuse, except perhaps Arduous Filch, the crabby caretaker who had replaced his father and continued his reign of malevolence over the corridors of Hogwarts…but whoever it was was close now, Rose would almost certainly be seen whether she liked it or not, and trying to hide would just make her look guilty. Squaring her shoulders, she put on her most innocent, angelic face and…

…gaped in surprise. Because the person who had turned the corner was not a teacher, was not even Filch. It was a student. And not just any student.

Scorpius Malfoy.

Judging by his look of surprise, he was just as astonished to see her there as she was. He stood stock still, taking her in, his eyes lingering on her book bag. Rose had to wonder at her bad timing; what were the chances of running into Malfoy on her way from the Library to the common room, given how large the castle was? And now that she thought about it, what _was _he doing there, several floors above the Slytherin common room, at this hour of the night? Rose narrowed her eyes and regarded him more carefully. He appeared to be alone, and he didn't look particularly flustered at being caught, but she doubted his intentions in wandering around were very innocent.

"Weasley." Was it just her, or was he avoiding her gaze? Guilty, maybe, for standing her up? And so he should be.

The memory of his absence earlier in the day, and the hurtful cartoon the previous week, caused sudden anger to flare within her, white hot and insistent. Without thinking, letting her emotions guide her, Rose strode up to Scorpius and poked him firmly in the chest.

"_You_," she hissed, poking him again. "Have got some _nerve, _prowling around these corridors as if you were on a _holiday _or something, when you _clearly _shirked your responsibilities today!" She went to give him a final jab, but he caught her wrist and yanked her arm back and away from him. His face, she noticed, was dangerously close to hers. And he looked pissed.

"Listen Weasley," he growled back at her. "I don't know what kind of _dragon _dung you're harping on about, but I've got better things to do than stand here and listen to it. So if you'll excuse me, I'll – "

"No, excuse _me," _she yelled, not caring how loud she was and enjoying Scorpius' furious gesture for her to keep her voice down. "I waited for you for a whole hour! You can't just not turn up like that, it's…it's rude."

Scorpius sneered. "Well I didn't feel like listening to your annoying voice today. I wasn't in the mood."

"Ugh," she groaned, still trying to break free from his vice-like grip. "You are such a spoilt brat."

"And you are such a little princess," he replied, surprising her. "A bossy, know-it-all, smug little princess who can't take not having her way all the time. You – " he broke off abruptly, listening. Then his face changed, and he began tugging them urgently towards the room to their left. They had only just slid inside and shut the door behind them when footsteps announced someone else turning the corner into the corridor.

"Keep quiet," breathed Scorpius in her ear, making her shiver involuntarily. He dragged them over to the furthest corner from the door, then drew his wand and rapped her sharply over the head. A cold, trickling feeling overwhelmed her, and Rose realised that he had Disillusioned her. He did the same to himself, then wrapped his arms around her and bent down to whisper "stay still" just as Filch's voice echoed from the other side of the door.

"Definitely heard voices, didn't we Norleen?" he muttered gleefully to his cat. Rose could hear the shuffling of his footsteps and the rusty handle of his lamp swinging back and forth. "Now where'd you think they went, hmm? Where'd you think they…HAH!" he gave a yell as he opened one of the other doors in the corridor, causing Rose to jump, then a snarl of frustration at finding it empty. "Not in there, are they precious? Maybe in…here!" he opened another door. Rose's heart was beating so hard against her chest it was almost painful. Getting caught in hiding like this was a blatant admission of wrongdoing; there would be no escaping punishment now. To make it worse, she was acutely aware of Scorpius' body against hers, warm and strong. She resisted the urge to rest her head against his invisible shoulder.

The footsteps came to a halt outside their door, and moments later it swung open. Scorpius tensed slightly and his arms tightened around her as the greasy, pinched head of Arduous Filch emerged in the room, lank brown hair hanging in strips past his chin, his face twisted with excitement in the lamplight as if he could sense fear close by. At his feet prowled Norleen, a ginger tabby cat much despised by the students of Hogwarts, her large golden eyes peering into the darkness. Filch scanned the classroom once, twice, his eyes skimming over the place where Rose and Scorpius stood without a flicker, and a flash of annoyance crossed his face at once again finding it empty. Grumbling, he turned to go, but Norleen purred and began to stalk purposefully toward their corner, as if she could _smell _their presence even if she couldn't see them. Filch paused in the doorway, watching keenly.

Just when she was beginning to panic and imagine all the trouble they would get into when Norleen brushed against them and revealed them standing there, Rose felt Scorpius move ever so slightly against her, enough to angle his wand at the approaching cat from between them. Her eyes bulged and she shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"_Repello billium," _the Slytherin muttered under his breath, so quietly Rose barely heard him, and Norleen paused, as if indecisive. She gave a confused meow, then turned around and scuttled back to her Master. For a fleeting second it seemed as if the caretaker might investigate himself, for Filch was peering into the corner suspiciously, but he only bared his teeth.

"Silly cat," he admonished, and then he was gone, closing the door behind him, and his footsteps were growing fainter until the sound vanished altogether and the castle was silent once more.

For several minutes the two teenagers remained where they were, rooted to the spot with their arms around each other, until Scorpius unravelled one arm and rapped them each on the head once more with his wand, removing their Disillusionment charm. Rose could just make out his face as it materialised in the moonlight coming from the windows; he looked a little proud of himself.

"Where did you learn to do that?" she whispered, hyperaware now of how loud her voice was in the silence. "Repel cats, I mean. It's not exactly taught in Charms, is it?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well it saved your skin, didn't it? Maybe you shouldn't ask so many questions."

"Oh sod off Malfoy," she giggled. Then she started, appalled at herself? Had she just _giggled_ at something Malfoy said? Rose giggled again before she could stop herself, then clapped a hand over her mouth. The movement made her aware that she and Scorpius were still standing pressed together, and one of his arms was still wrapped snugly around her waist. For some reason, this made her giggle more, and before she knew what had happened she was shaking with hysterics against Scorpius' chest, laughing so hard she was unable to draw breath. It was as if all the tension of the day was pouring out of her, and she was powerless to control it.

"Honestly Weasley, it's not all that funny," Scorpius drawled after a while, but Rose noticed his voice was tinted with humour, and he was still holding her against him.

She gulped in several deep breaths, then looked up at him and broke into fresh giggles at the expression on his face, torn between annoyance and amusement. It was several more minutes before she trusted herself to move at all.

"Finished?" he asked when she glanced up at him again and managed to keep a straight face. She nodded, letting the air out of her lungs in one long breath. "I thought I might have lost you for a moment there."

His seemingly casual words made her catch her breath. "I – I'm sorry," she stuttered, all humour gone. "I don't know what came over me."

"I do," Scorpius smirked, appearing not to have noticed her reaction. "You panicked, and then became hysterical. Remind me never to rely on you in a crisis," he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," she snapped. "I'll have you know that this was a once off and…and…" she trailed off, distracted by a beam of moonlight illuminating his face. Merlin, he was gorgeous.

"And…? Norleen got your tongue Weasley?"

"Ha ha, very fu – " she broke off when he clasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up so that she was staring straight into his eyes. They were standing so close together, Rose could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek.

"Why didn't you come today?" she croaked, feeling very lightheaded.

His eyes darkened for a moment. "Didn't think you'd want to see me." He brought one hand up to cup her cheek, and Rose knew that this was the time to step back and away from him, but she couldn't seem to move. She could feel the speed of Scorpius' heartbeat, mirrored in her own chest. It was all happening too fast for her to be able to think straight. She stayed frozen in his arms, unable to pull away, to deny herself this moment. All she saw was Scorpius' sparkling silver eyes, his red lips, and the way he was coming closer…

"Merlin, Rose, you're – " he stopped, an inch from her mouth, and gazed at her as if in wonderment. "Do you – do you want this?"

Rose couldn't answer. She stared at him, his mouth so close to her own, and thought hard about his question. Through the fog of her mind, she recognised that her answer was actually quite important. And yes, she did want him to kiss her, she loved it when he kissed her; her lips still tingled in memory of the last time he had. But this was Scorpius _Malfoy. _She didn't want it, not really, not past the lust of the moment, not in any way that was meaningful. She couldn't really say yes to him, could she? Her father…she couldn't…not with Malfoy. She shook her head.

Scorpius' eyes clouded with anger and his jaw clenched. For an instant Rose thought he might kiss her anyway, but then he let her go and stepped back. The chill of the room hit her instantly.

"Go on then," he said, turning away and facing the wall. His voice sounded tight and bitter, and his back was as stiff as an ironing board. "Get going. Filch won't be around. It's safe."

"I…" she wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything that wouldn't sound either trite or insincere.

"Just leave me alone Weasley," he barked out hoarsely, taking another step away from her, and she cowered at the hostility radiating from him.

Rose dragged her feet to the door, walking slowly, half hoping Scorpius would call her back and seize her in his arms, take her and kiss her fiercely without giving her a chance to object. But he didn't, and when she reached the door and looked back, he was leaning against the window frame as if lost in his own thoughts, his posture sculpted in moonlight and his blonde hair almost shimmering. She opened her mouth, felt the icy night air against her tongue, then shook her head, stumbled backwards into the corridor, and fled in the direction of her bedroom.

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><p><strong>AN: *Sigh* This chapter annoyed me so much. I've read it so many times that I can't even tell if it's good anymore. Eventually I gave up trying to edit it and decided to just go ahead and post it. Also, Rose is such an angsty little chit. But y'all knew that anyway ;) **


	12. Chapter 12

_Sixth Year, Part Five_

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><p>November followed October with indecent haste, and winter began to rear its disagreeable head at Hogwarts. The days grew shorter, the nights colder, and two weeks of near constant rain made for an all-round dreariness throughout the castle. Rose fell sick, and spent her time snapping at anyone who spoke too loudly in the common room, wrapped up in every scarf she owned and with a bottomless mug of hot chocolate to keep her warm.<p>

The weather had led to the usual Hogsmeade weekend being rescheduled for later in the term, so her planned day with Charlie Corner hadn't yet come to fruition. Still, they continued to chat more in the classes they shared, and exchange smiles when they passed each other in the corridors. She was quite enjoying their casual friendship, and was truthfully in no hurry to speed it along. Lorcan still did not approve of their upcoming date, for reasons she could not fathom beyond a strange and misguided form of overprotectiveness. Other than that, there was really only one thorn in her otherwise serene life.

Scorpius Malfoy was avoiding her like the plague. She had thought that their relationship, if it could even be called that, couldn't possibly get any worse after the debacle last year, but she had been wrong. Whereas before they would simply ignore each other, now Scorpius made a point of exiting hastily whenever she entered the same room as him or, if that wasn't possible, positioning himself as far away from her as possible. It was as if she was contagious and he was afraid of catching her disease.

Needless to say, he hadn't been showing up to their weekly 'lessons.' Rose had stopped bothering to sit in the library on Mondays after class, since it was clear he wouldn't make an appearance. She wondered briefly how the other Prefects were faring in their inter-House harmony endeavours, but didn't have the nerve to ask any of her fellow students, not even Charlie, who had been partnered with the Hufflepuff Prefect Simoly Howard. They were probably making great progress. It frustrated Rose that she was most likely going to fail, and get punished, for something that wasn't really her fault. Malfoys and Weasleys were simply too incompatible, they were opposites in pretty much every respect…in her defence, she _had_ tried to explain that fact to Professor McGonagall.

Although she was keeping up with her schoolwork and getting her usual good grades, the situation with Scorpius wouldn't seem to go away, and the more she tried to ignore it the more it bothered her. She considered trying to talk to Albus about it, but quickly dismissed the idea. He was bound to take Scorpius' side and tell her she was the one being unreasonable. On the other hand, Dominique, James and her other cousins would no doubt steadfastly agree with her, and dismiss Scorpius as an arrogant toerag. Neither approach was particularly helpful.

Between her worry over the lessons she wasn't completing, the ludicrous amount of homework all the teachers insisted on giving them, and the gloominess amongst the Gryffindors after their shock loss to Slytherin in the Quidditch, Rose was more than looking forward to the approaching Christmas break. Even if it did mean her entire family getting together at the Burrow and making more noise than a herd of stampeding Hippogriffs.

She had been making a habit of spending long evenings sitting in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, writing one essay after another until her hand went dead from cramp. To give herself a break from this monotony, Rose determined to spend some time doing other things. First and foremost on her list was a visit to Hagrid, whom she had barely seen all year since reluctantly giving up Care of Magical Creatures at the end of fifth year. So one night after dinner, she bid her housemates goodnight and set off in the opposite direction to them, heading outside.

It was a chilly night, the sort of hard frost that precedes the winter snows. Rose welcomed the sting of it on her face, breathing in deep and enjoying the freshness that the cold brought with it. It was a little disconcerting walking around the grounds at night, but she was comforted by the warm glow coming from Hagrid's cabin, and the distant light of the Quidditch pitch, where the Slytherin team was currently training.

Her breath rose in misty clouds around her as she traipsed across the grass and rapped sharply upon Hagrid's door. She grinned at the answering bark of Shadow, Hagrid's newest boarhound pup, from just behind the door. It only took a moment for it to open wide, flooding her with light.

"Rosie!" beamed Hagrid. He stepped aside to let her in, since his bulk took up the whole of the doorway. "Great ter see yeh. Bin wonderin' when you'd come an' visit. Cuppa tea?"

"Yes, please," Rose took off her cloak and draped it over a chair, basking in the warmth radiating from Hagrid's roaring wood fire. She sat at the table, idly scratching Shadow behind his ears, as Hagrid bustled about putting the kettle on and offering her a slab of freshly baked rock cake. Rose took a slice but did not eat; she had long been warned of Hagrid's infamous cooking skills by her parents and had no desire to lose a tooth.

"So how come yeh don' take me lessons anymore?" asked Hagrid, placing two bucket sized cups on the table and splashing hot water into them. "S'no' the same without yeh – yeh were always good with the animals…yer mother's touch, no doubt."

"Yeah, I wish I hadn't given it up," Rose admitted glumly. She had always enjoyed Hagrid's lessons, even when they involved rather unconventional creatures like Wentels or Flubberworms. "But dad thought it was a good idea to take all the subjects required to be an Auror, just in case." She couldn't help the slight trace of resentment in her voice.

Hagrid was regarding her shrewdly. "Yeh're not set on bein' an Auror like yer dad then?"

She shrugged a little apathetically. "It's what he wants," she said. "And I…don't want to disappoint him." She took a gulp of tea to hide her discomfort and winced at the bitterness; there was no sugar.

"Don' be silly," growled Hagrid. "He'd be proud o' yeh no matter what yeh did, an' I know tha' fer a fact."

Rose shrugged again. She knew Hagrid was only trying to make her feel better, but she didn't much want to talk about her father. His hope's for her to pursue a career as an Auror had become quite clear to her over summer, despite him telling her on more than one occasion that he didn't mind what she chose so long as she was happy. She had seen the way his face fell when she raised the possibility of dropping Herbology for Care of Magical Creatures, and that was enough for her. Rose forced down another mouthful of tea and fished around for a different subject.

"Hagrid?" she asked abruptly as an unexpected thought occurred to her. "How much do you remember about Draco Malfoy?"

Hagrid looked surprised at the change in topic. "Draco Malfoy? Blimey, I dunno Rosie. Wha' d'yeh wanna know?

"Just what he was like," she said, then flushed. "I mean, was he really as horrible as my dad says he was?"

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably. "Look, can' say I liked him much, meself. But he had a tough life, did Draco. Didn' get a lotta chances ter be a good kid."

"What do you mean?"

"Jus' that his attitudes were made fer him 'fore he was even born," said Hagrid evasively.

"Didn't he try to get you fired?" asked Rose, perplexed at Hagrid's seeming reluctance to criticise Draco. "And he used to call my mum a mudblood."

"Tha's righ', he did," said Hagrid. "An' so would've you if yeh'd bin raised the way he was. Thought yer mother would've taught yeh tha'."

Rose looked down, shamefaced. While she was staring miserably at the table, Hagrid got up and busied himself with the fire.

"This wouldn't have anythin' to do with Scorpius, would it?" he asked casually.

She jerked her head up at his question, but Hagrid merely stabbed at the coals with his poker. "Albus' bin down ter see me too," he said to her enquiring stare. "Summat 'bout lessons an' you two not gettin' along."

"You could say that," she grumbled, annoyed at Hagrid seeing through her questions so easily and Albus talking about her behind her back.

"He's a good kid, Scorpius," Hagrid said.

"So I've been told," said Rose drily.

"Ah, yer a hard lass ter please," chucked Hagrid, his laughter quickly turning into a hacking, chesty cough. Rose watched in alarm as Hagrid bent double over his table-cloth sized handkerchief. After a minute or two he re-emerged, red faced and huffing.

"Hagrid, are you alright?" she asked in concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the gamekeeper waved an enormous hand as if to swat away her question. "Now yeh'd bes' be getting' back, 'fore it gets too late. Don' wanna get yeh inter trouble. Oh – sorry," he had attempted to pat Rose on the shoulder and instead sent her flying sideways into the table. "Here yeh go then," he said, hoisting her upright and ruffling her hair affectionately.

Reluctantly, Rose bade Hagrid goodnight and let herself out of his hut, if anything even more concerned than she had been to start with. For now she had the added worry of Hagrid's health weighing on her mind. Though she supposed he could not be expected to live forever, the possibility of Hagrid falling ill just seemed too awful to contemplate. Rose couldn't even begin to imagine Hogwarts without him.

She hadn't gone very far back to the castle when she was distracted by something moving in her peripheral vision. Looking across, she saw a small, solitary figure circling the Quidditch pitch, barely visible against the darkness of the sky. Whoever it was was flying slowly, occasionally dipping low or rising high into the night sky.

Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, Rose immediately changed course and began walking over to the pitch, her breath puffing out in front of her. As she got closer, she could make out the green of the flyer's clothes and realised it must be a Slytherin leftover from their training session. She hesitated, wondering whether she should just leave them be and return to the castle. As she was standing looking upwards in indecision, the figure above flew into the glow of mingled moon and pitch light, and his face was illuminated for an instant.

Scorpius. Somehow she was not surprised.

Rose was standing almost directly below him, watching him fly in lazy circles through the air, his blonde hair streaming behind him, before he noticed her. When he did, he jerked so violently he nearly fell off his broom, staring down at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. She gave a lame, half-hearted sort of wave for him to come down.

For a moment she thought he might simply continue flying and ignore her, which would be awkward to say the least. But he soon began to sink slowly back to the ground, landing next to her with a soft thud and dismounting smoothly. His face was flushed from flying, his hair windblown and wild, and his eyes gleamed brightly in the night light. He looked almost ethereal, with his ghostly pale skin and blood red lips.

"Hi," she said nervously. He didn't speak, but continued to stare at her. "What are you doing?" _Stupid question, _she berated herself.

"Flying," he said.

"Oh, yes, I could see that," she said, feeling foolish. She shouldn't have come over here, should have left him to whatever he was doing. He clearly didn't want her company. "You know it's nearly curfew?"

Scorpius scowled at her and made to get back on his broom. "W-wait!" she said, and he paused. It occurred to her that she really had no idea what to say, or why she was even there. "Can I – can I have a go?"

He looked at her blankly, not comprehending what she meant. Rose couldn't blame him – she was flabbergasted herself at what she had just said. Have a _go_? On a _broomstick?_ Hagrid must have accidentally slipped something into her tea, because there was no other explanation for that sudden bout of insanity.

Seeing her horrified expression, Scorpius seemed to realise what she was talking about. "On my broom?" he asked incredulously. "You want me to let you fly my broom?"

"Not by myself," she felt compelled to correct him, embarrassed by his tone of disbelief. "I meant with – but never mind…it was a stupid idea anyway. I'll just go– "_drown myself in the Great Lake. _" – back to the castle."

"You want to fly _with _me?" asked Scorpius, his voice noticeably softer. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. It was just an idea. Don't wo – "

"Okay."

"What?" now it was her turn to gape at him. He was smirking ever so slightly as he flung one leg over the handle of his broom and beckoned her toward him.

"Okay, let's go for a fly," he said.

"No, it's fine," she shook her head, feeling suddenly nauseous. "I changed my mind. I – " he hovered over to her, his shoes skimming the ground, and held out his hand.

"Come on Rose," he said, in a voice that sent shivers up her spine. "I insist."

"I'm – I'm a really bad flier," she said weakly. "I really – Scorpius, Scorpius no!" she screamed as he scooped her bodily onto his broom so that she was perched sideways in front of him. Rose clung to his neck in terror until she realised that they were still only inches above the ground.

"Now lift one leg over to the other side," he said, his breath hot and tickling against her ear. Clumsily, berating herself that this was by _far _the worst idea she had ever had, she managed to lift her leg so that she was sitting properly, one leg on either side. This forced her to face the front, meaning she had to let go of Scorpius' neck and cling instead to the broom. "Good," he said as he wrapped one arm securely around her waist. His other arm followed her own in holding on to the handle, his larger hand covering her smaller one. "Now, just relax. You know I won't let you fall."

That was easier said than done. Rose had never liked flying, and had pretty much given it up entirely from the time she was too big to fly on her dad's broom with him. Just thinking about being up in the air again was causing all sorts of horrible sensations in her stomach, and when Scorpius began to gently guide the broom upwards and off the ground, Rose thought she may very well faint. She pressed as hard as she could back against Scorpius' warm chest, and heard him hiss as if in pain.

"Don't wriggle," he commanded, and she stilled instantly.

"I don't like this," she moaned, as they rose several metres above the ground. At least they were rising slow enough that she wasn't panicking just yet. "No, I really don't like this. I – "

"Shhh," he whispered in her ear, tightening his grip around her waist as they flew higher. "Look in front of you."

With an effort, Rose forced her eyes from the rapidly receding pitch below and looked up. She gasped. It was as if the whole of Hogwarts was unfolding before her eyes. She could see the roof of Hagrid's hut, the glassy surface of the lake, and as they grew level with the castle turrets, the canopy of the Forbidden Forest, stretching out as far as Rose could see. To the East she could make out the township of Hogsmeade, like miniature gingerbread houses twinkling far below them. They must be getting very high; Rose could see the top of the Astronomy Tower, shining blue in the moonlight.

As if reading her mind, Scorpius whispered, "Don't look down. Just focus on what's in front of you. I'm going to take us around, okay?" She nodded, drawing in a deep breath. The air was cold as ice up here; her nose and fingers were already numb, and the rest of her body wasn't far behind. Scorpius flew above the goalposts and did a slow circle, giving Rose a complete three-sixty view of the grounds and surrounding countryside. He kept the broom so steady it honestly felt as if she was floating, and she was proud to say she wasn't scared at all.

"It's…beautiful," she said breathlessly; the oxygen was definitely thinner this high up.

"Mm-hmm." His lips were warm on the skin of her ear. Without thinking, Rose tilted her head, exposing more of her neck to his mouth. Scorpius made a sound like a muffled sigh and nuzzled against her, trailing his lips to her collarbone. Rose gasped at the sensations, her eyelids fluttering shut and her grip slackening so much that if Scorpius hadn't been holding her firmly she may have fallen off.

"Scorpius?" she whispered, amazed at the hoarseness of her own voice. It sounded like a stranger to her.

"Mmm."

"We should…" Gods, she was finding it hard to concentrate. Rose snapped her eyes open and forced herself to alertness; it really wasn't safe to be doing this over one hundred feet in the air. "We should go down."

Scorpius didn't answer, but Rose felt him gently tilt them downwards. She panicked slightly as gravity pulled her forwards, but Scorpius' lips on her ear and his arm around her stomach kept her from losing her nerve completely.

When they landed back on the ground, Rose was feeling more than a little unsteady on her feet, and it wasn't just from the flying. She slid off the broomstick, wobbling like a toddler, and only managed to stay upright by grabbing hold of Scorpius' robes. He laughed –a genuine, pleasant sound.

"You're right," he said humorously as she steadied herself. "You really are bad at flying."

She swatted at him, but he ducked out of the way and took a sideways step towards her. For a moment they stood in silence, their eyes locked together, before Rose shivered violently and realised just how frozen and stiff she was feeling. The corner of Scorpius' lips twitched, and he pulled off his cloak and placed it around her shoulders, enveloping her in instant warmth. Her eyebrows rose at his chivalrous behaviour after weeks of cold shouldering.

"Thanks," she mumbled, blowing on her fingers to try and warm them to no avail. There didn't seem much else to say, so together they set off back to the castle, Scorpius carrying his broom over one shoulder. Rose glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, wanting to speak but not sure what to say. Before she knew it they were standing in the Entrance Hall, and Scorpius was standing and looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, here," she unfastened his cloak and handed it back to him. The movement brought them closer together, barely a foot apart.

"You'd better be quick," said Scorpius quietly. He nodded to the marble stairs leading in the direction of Gryffindor's common room. "Before curfew."

"Yeah," she nodded. Part of her wanted to talk about their lessons, and the other night, and all the unspoken things that had passed between them, but the other side of her was loathe to bring up any of that now and ruin what had otherwise been a nice night. Neither of them had snapped at each other for the first time since she could remember, and it felt…good. She smiled. "Well, goodnight then."

Quick as a Seeker, Scorpius stepped forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Goodnight," he whispered, allowing his lips to linger for a just a moment. Then he turned and walked away.

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><p><strong>AN: *ducks for cover*  
>Happy holidays for me! End of my exams means lots more time to write and increase my buffer on this story. Making pretty good progress so far, let's hope my muse stays with me. Reviews make me write super super fast :P<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

_Sixth Year, Part Six_

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><p>"Merry Christmas everyone!"<p>

Mrs Weasley bustled out of the Burrow's back door into their garden, her wand held steady as she balanced a huge pudding dish in front of her. Ginny, Hermione, Fleur, Audrey and Angelina followed closely behind her, all carrying some form of Mrs Weasley's mouth-watering cooking. With as much order as was possible in the noise and chaos of the backyard, they laid their dishes on the several long tables assembled on the grass, then hurried back inside.

Rose had been watching them go back and forth for over ten minutes, slowly but steadily filling the enormous tables until only patches of the white cloth remained visible. The tables groaned under the weight of so much food, but Rose knew from experience that it would all be devoured. She half rose from her seat as her mother came outside with what looked like a bucket full of cutlery.

"Are you sure I can't – "

"Merlin's beard Rose, won't you sit for just a minute!" snapped Hermione, looking uncharacteristically flustered. "You've been running around all day, it's _okay _to take a break you know."

Rose sat back down, blushing. Her mother had, as usual, noticed her unusual behaviour when she had honestly thought she was doing a great job at covering it up. It was true – she _had _been running around all day, helping in every way she could, and even in ways she really couldn't, like trying to boil two dozen cups of tea without magic, or chasing Hugo from one end of the house to the other, yelling at him to comb his hair. Even when she was sitting her eyes were darting back and forth between people, looking for an opportunity to move again.

She wasn't normally like this. In fact, she had developed a bit of a reputation for being rather lazy at these large family gatherings, and reluctant to involve herself too much in the preparations. That was probably why she had drawn her mother's suspicions.

Rose didn't really know the reason why she had such an overpowering desire to keep on the move. She had felt restless and uncomfortable all holidays, as if she needed to be distracted constantly lest she start thinking too much. If she hadn't been so irritated by it she would have laughed at the irony: she had gone from desperate to get away from Hogwarts and her various issues there, to desperate to get _back _to Hogwarts and away from the chaotic energy of her extended family.

In particular, she was dying to see Scorpius Malfoy. Rose had spent the first half of her break denying this fact to herself, and it was this denial which started her on her frantic quest for preoccupation. Eventually, when physical exhaustion did nothing to prevent her thoughts from wandering to him at every chance they got, she was forced to admit that for whatever reason, her subconscious simply wanted to see Scorpius, and would not allow her to rest or relax until it did.

She attributed this, begrudgingly, to the rather abrupt and incomplete ending to their last conversation, after her reckless and idiotic flying adventure. Even now, weeks later, Rose's gut churned when she thought back to that night and just _what _she could have been thinking. And for that matter, she wasn't sure where Scorpius got off either, with his general aloofness coupled with that kiss? Whokissed someone on the forehead these days? What did it even mean?

With a groan, Rose jumped from her seat and began prowling around the garden, looking for gnomes to terrorise in an attempt to stop her thoughts from engaging once more in their painful merry-go-round. Unfortunately for her, most of the gnomes had been cleared out by James and Albus earlier in the day, and the ones that were left were keeping very much out of sight. To make it worse, she found Victoire and Teddy with their heads together in the far corner of the garden near the chicken coop, talking in low voices. They looked up and smiled when they saw Rose, but she could tell she was intruding, and beat a hasty retreat, retracing her steps back to the dinner table just as Molly Weasley clapped her hands together.

"Alright everybody, I just wanted to say – "

"We love you Molly!" yelled her cousin Fred from down the other end, which was a considerable way away. Angelina whacked her son light-heartedly over the head, as everyone nodded in agreement. Molly blushed and put a hand to her chest.

"Well, that's lovely dear. I just wanted to say – on behalf of Arthur and myself – "she cast a fond glance at her husband, who was leaning back in his chair at the head of the table, smiling contentedly at them all, his interlaced hands resting on his stomach. "That it's so wonderful you could all be here today and – and that we love you all very much. Now…I'm sure everybody's hungry so – dig in!" She waved her wand and the food seemed to spring to attention.

The family didn't need telling twice. All at once there were hands smothering the table, spooning, cutting, pulling and prodding at the various dishes. Rose stared around her and her restless energy seemed to evaporate; she would, once again, be required to fight tooth and nail to feed herself.

"It's like the Muggle zoo," said Albus drily from beside her, and Rose jumped a little in surprise. Last she had seen Albus was flying his broomstick in the orchard located behind the Burrow's backyard. She hadn't even heard him come in, let alone sit down next to her.

"Tell me about it," she sighed, darting forward and grabbing a bread roll. "I wonder what a quiet Christmas would feel like."

Albus shrugged. "Scorpius tells me they're pretty boring, actually," he said as he snatched the beef casserole out of Hugo's hands and ladled some onto his plate.

Rose took a bite of her roll and tried to ignore the squirming in her gut. She took her time chewing and swallowing, watching Albus out of the corner of her eye.

"Guess I shouldn't complain," she said at last.

"Nah," said Albus, now wrestling with Hugo over the last pork chop. He pushed the younger boy sideways, where he crashed into their Uncle Percy. "But it's fun to complain sometimes." Al bit triumphantly into his chop.

"What's it…" Rose was sure she shouldn't be encouraging talk about Scorpius, but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop herself. At least they wouldn't be heard over Hugo's loud whining and Percy's scolding. "What's it like at Malfoy Manor?"

Albus looked at her in surprise, his eyebrows raised. He swallowed a large mouthful of meat and wiped his mouth with a napkin before answering. "S'not that bad, actually. Big, obviously, and a bit draughty, but I liked it. Scorp's got the best room, and the grounds are big enough to play a proper Quidditch game, which is cool. They only use half the house nowadays so – "

"Really? Why?" asked Rose, genuinely intrigued by this.

"Dunno," Albus shrugged. "One of the rooms was destroyed in the War, and they didn't repair it for some reason. So they cordoned off that part of the house, use it just for storage and stuff nowadays."

"How was it destroyed?" Rose pressed, but Albus shook his head.

"I dunno, Scorpius didn't tell me. Maybe you should ask him yourself, in those lessons you're supposed to be having."

Rose blushed. So Albus knew they hadn't been meeting up. "Yeah, maybe," she muttered.

"You're going to get in trouble, you know that?" Al looked at her and his green eyes were troubled. "I don't know why you two can't just get along."

"It's just…" she wanted to say 'complicated' but didn't think that would go down well. Albus thought she hated Scorpius and, while this may not have been strictly true anymore, she wasn't sure she wanted her cousin to know otherwise. Thankfully, she was spared from having to finish her sentence by Hugo, who had been stealing food from Albus' plate while they were talking and now attempted to run away upon being caught. Al leapt from his seat and caught him before he'd gotten more than a few paces away, and the two boys tackled each other to the ground.

Rose ate in a silence for a while, ignoring the commotion around her, smiling politely at anyone who caught her eye but otherwise keeping out of their conversations. After a bit she looked up and saw her mother watching her. Sudden annoyance surged through her; she wasn't a hospital patient, for Merlin's sake. Rose stood up abruptly.

"Rose!" yelled Albus from the ground, where he was still wrestling Hugo. He struggled onto his knees, panting and red-faced, his hair even wilder than normal. "Where are you – argh!" Hugo had spear tackled him around the waist and dragged him back down. Rose observed their flailing limbs for a moment, supremely unconcerned, until she spotted Hermione getting up to come and separate them. Feeling uncharitable towards her mother, Rose turned and walked away. She passed various uncles and aunts and cousins, nodding occasionally, until she had reached the very end of the tables, where Arthur and Molly Weasley were sitting deep in conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic. Rose smiled with real affection at her grandparents, but continued walking, passing around the corner of the house so she was out of sight of the festivities.

A little way away was the tall hedge that separated the Burrow from the hills and fields leading off into the surrounding countryside. There was a small, rickety gate set into it, through which the children passed regularly to use the Orchard for flying practise. Just in front of the hedge was a large green pond full of frogs overshadowed by several gnarled looking trees, and a wide stone bench upon which Rose had been planning to sit. As she drew nearer, however, she realised with surprise that there was already somebody there.

A frail old lady was sitting on the bench, staring into the pond as if absorbed by thought. She bore the unmistakeable signs of wealth in her carefully pressed robes and the thick, fur-lined shawl draped around her shoulders, as well as in the proud stiffness of her posture. Her curly, iron-grey hair was tied back into a loose plait that reached nearly to the small of her back, and secured with a yellow ribbon.

She looked up as Rose approached, her brown eyes clearing and a smile forming upon her face. "Hello dear," she said softly.

"Hello Mrs Tonks," said Rose, stopping on the opposite side of the pond. "I'm sorry to disturb you."

"Oh not at all dear, not at all," said Andromeda Tonks, waving one gloved hand. "I am just…dwelling on the past, which is never a good thing, no not at all. I should have learnt…by now…but never mind…" she trailed off.

Rose stared at the elderly woman before her. She had never talked much with Mrs Tonks, Teddy Lupin's grandmother, nor had she ever given her much thought. But now something occurred to her.

"Mrs Tonks," she said carefully. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course dear, of course," replied Mrs Tonks. "Ask me anything."

Rose took a deep breath. "How did you…know you were different from your sisters?" She paused, hoping she hadn't done the wrong thing. She wasn't sure if this was the sort of question that should be discussed at a Christmas feast; but Mrs Tonks just smiled sadly and shook her head a little.

"Different?" she said, as though she had never heard the word before. "No, my dear, I don't believe different is the right word. Less cruel than Bellatrix, and warmer than Narcissa, perhaps, but not so very different…"

"But then, how did you…" began Rose, confused.

"Come to marry a Muggle-born?" finished Mrs Tonks for her. "While my sisters married purebloods and became entwined with the Dark Lord? Yes," she sighed. "It's a curious thing…"

Rose shifted uncomfortably. "But – "

"I think," Mrs Tonks continued lightly, "that in the end it is more about who you are exposed to than what you are told to believe. Ted," she paused and a look of pain crossed her features. "Ted gave me kindness and love. He showed me a world I had never known. My sisters…were never offered such things."

Rose stared at the woman before her with something akin to awe. It was clear to her that Andromeda and Ted Tonks must have loved each other dearly, for her to still show so much emotion when speaking of him. He had convinced her to marry him despite the fact that he was a Muggle-born and she would be disinherited from her family. "I wish I could have met him," she said without thinking. "Ted, I mean. He sounds like a great man."

Mrs Tonks smiled. "Oh yes, a most incredible wizard. He's a lot like Teddy, you know? Remarkable boy…" she trailed off, and her eyes glazed with what were most likely long distant memories. Rose blushed, and excused herself, walking over to the gate and out into the bordering field.

It was hard to believe that the gentle lady sitting beside a pond was the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort's most loyal and brutal supporter. How could two people of the same blood turn out so differently? Was it really, as Mrs Tonks said, all to do with the people you met and the experiences you were exposed to when you were growing up? Rose didn't think so…there had to be something, something _different…_something more…

She wandered onwards up the hill without thinking much about where she was going. There was little chance of getting lost, since the Burrow was the only house in the area and its multiple streams of chimney smoke could be seen from very far away. After a while she changed course and made her way towards the orchard, her breath rising in clouds before her in the clear, cold chill of the day. The ground beneath her feet was hard and slippery with remnants of the overnight frost.

Huffing slightly, Rose reached the fence of the orchard and let herself in. She had always liked it here, even though she didn't fly. The surrounding trees muffled the sound from outside, as well as ensuring the paddock was free from any prying Muggle eyes. Rose had spent many a day at the Burrow sitting with her back against an apple tree, reading from a book while her brother and cousins flew around above her head.

She was turning on the spot trying to decide the best place to sit when the back of her neck prickled. Rose spun around, peering into the trees, but there was nothing there. Strange. She had felt sure, for just a moment, that she was being watched…but it was crazy, who would be watching her? Everybody was still in the backyard eating, as far as she knew.

Deciding she must be imagining things, Rose picked out her favourite tree and had taken half a step towards it when she heard the unmistakable sound of a twig cracking. Without hesitating, she pulled out her wand and pointed it in the direction the noise had come from, her breathing heavy and ragged. There was no one there that she could see, but she had _definitely _heard something.

"Who's there?" she called out strongly. "Mrs Tonks?" But that was absurd, why would Mrs Tonks clamber up the hill? "Albus?" she tried again, feeling foolish as nothing answered her but the rustle of the wind.

Rose stayed stock still for several minutes, her wand trained into the shadow of the trees, her eyes sweeping around the clearing looking for any sign of movement. Eventually, she straightened, although she kept a grip on her wand inside the pocket of her cloak. _It was probably a bird, _she thought to herself. _You're just being paranoid._ Still, suddenly the orchard didn't seem such an inviting place after all.

"Okay then," she muttered to herself, more to keep her ears occupied than because she was fond of talking to herself. "Guess it's back to the family." She hurried towards the gate.

This time, there was absolutely no mistaking the sounds of footsteps in the trees behind her. Rose whirled back around, her wand out and pointing directly where she had heard noise.

"_Stupe – _"

"Rose!"

She sucked in her breath and turned to see Albus leaning against the gate. Her cousin was staring at her incredulously – she supposed she must have looked quite strange, standing alone in the middle of the clearing with her wand pointing at nothing. She blushed.

"Umm, hi," she said, lowering her arm and casting one last glance into the trees before turning her back on them.

"What are you doing?" asked Albus suspiciously, craning his neck to see where Rose had been looking. "Stupefying birds?"

"No, you git," she snapped. "I thought I heard something."

"Really?" Al cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "What?'

"Just a…noise, that's all," she said, feeling childish. "Like…footsteps or, I dunno, a twig cracking."

She could tell Albus was trying not to laugh. "You don't think it might've been me?" he asked her pointedly.

"No it was – " she had been going to say 'coming from behind me,' but Al was shaking with laughter so she closed her mouth and scowled at him instead. "Whatever."

"Sounds terrifying," he drawled sarcastically. "Anyway your mum says you've got to come back now. They're about to cut the pudding or something like that." He held out his hand with a smirk. "Come on Rosie, I'll lead you back. Wouldn't want you to go cursing any more unsuspecting animals, would we?"

She gave him the filthiest glare she could manage, before pocketing her wand and trudging back to the house with him. Her neck prickled as she walked down the hill, and she was suddenly glad to have Albus' annoying chatter in her ear.

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><p><strong>AN: Filler chapter, ftw! Okay, so there wasn't much _action _so to speak in this chappy, but I just wanted to spend some time fleshing out the characters a bit more. Because I'm fussy like that. And yes, there was a point to the orchard scene. I didn't just throw it in there for no reason. You'll just have to wait to find out :P**

**So after writing this, I've become obsessed with shipping Andromeda/Ted Tonks. I mean, they're like a canon version of Draco and Hermione, but even better, because their story is soo romantic. I've written my very own mini-fic (six or seven chappies long) version of their relationship, but I'm not going to post it until I finish this story, because otherwise I'll get distracted and I want to focus all my energies on this for the time being. **

**I'm going home today, which is why I'm updating a day early. Unfortunately, 'home' means no internet (my family lives in like, the middle of nowhere - they're not even connected to the power grid, let alone any kind of internet) so the next update probably won't be for a fortnight (ie. not next weekend, but the one after it). Before you get sad, be comforted to know that I'll be writing like crazy, without any distractions and the beautiful ocean to inspire me, so that I have plenty of updates when I come back :P. Plus you'll all be too busy watching Deathly Hallows pt. 2 to care about my silly story :O**

**Umm, I think that's all. I know I don't reply to reviews like I should, but trust me, I read everything that comes my way, and I'm so so grateful for all of it. You reviewers are just the most awesome people on the planet, for me anyway :P**

**Till next time, ~A.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Aaaaaaargh, I am soo sorry. This update is over a week late. It's a little longer than normal, though, so hope that makes up for it, plus there's a bit of ScoRose action at the end :P **

_Sixth Year, Part Seven_

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><p>Coming back to Hogwarts for the sixth-years meant the sad realisation that the next six months were going to be spent by and large with their noses in books, as the teachers had proven themselves to be as unrelenting as ever in their assignment of homework. By the end of the first week back from the Christmas break Rose had essays for every single subject, as well as spell practise for both Charms and Transfiguration, and reams of Arithmancy calculations to complete. She had thought the workload couldn't possibly increase from the year before, when she had gone cross-eyed from studying for her OWLs, but it seemed that she had been mistaken. By the time the first Saturday of term rolled round, Rose was thankful just to be able to roll out of bed and not be given any more homework.<p>

Dom was slumped grumpily over a bowl of porridge when Rose entered the Great Hall a little later for breakfast. Her cousin had been moody since getting back from holidays, and the onslaught of assignments had not improved her mood.

"I hate my life," she announced gloomily when Rose sat down across from her. Dom raised her spoon and examined her reflection critically in the back of it. "Think I could make it as a model if I dropped out of school?"

"Dunno," said Rose.

"Yeah, I suppose not," Dom's scowl got even deeper. "I'm too ugly."

Rose rolled her eyes and bit into a slice of toast to avoid answering.

"You know," said Dom idly, "Uncle Fred and Uncle George left school early." She frowned at the cuticles on her fingernails. "And they made heaps of money."

"In seventh-year," said Rose, "and that was only because they had their business set up already. Do _you _have a business ready to go?"

Dom pouted. "I could go to London," she persisted. "Calvin's there, making broomsticks for his dad…maybe we could live together…" her face fell even further, confirming Rose's suspicions that the two of them had argued over the holidays.

"So…" she said, knowing her cousin would not drop her bad mood until someone asked her what was wrong. "How is Calvin?"

Dom took a dramatic, shuddering breath. "Oh…you know…" she waved a hand and tears appeared in her clear blue eyes. "Busy…as usual…" she sniffed. "Too busy for me, of course…_Got to work, _you see. Doesn't have _time_ for _me _anymore."

It took every ounce of self-control Rose possessed not to roll her eyes at her part-Veela cousin. "Well," she said diplomatically. "He probably _is _busy."

"That doesn't mean our relationship has to suffer," said Dom sulkily. She leant across the table and lowered her voice to a whisper, even though they were already out of ear-shot of anybody else. "I think he's getting bored with me."

"Nonsense," said Rose calmly. She had had this conversation with Dom at least half a dozen times before. "How could he be bored with you? You're the most beautiful witch in Hogwarts. There's no way he'd want anyone else."

Dom blinked at her. "Really?" she smiled tremulously. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," said Rose, taking another huge bite of toast.

Dom opened her mouth to speak then shut it quickly, her eyes sparkling. "Guess who's coming over?" she squeaked.

Rose's heart gave an unexpected thump and she swallowed painfully. Her eyes darted involuntarily to the Slytherin table and locked on to a pair of grey ones – Scorpius was staring straight at her.

"Charlie Corner," hissed Dom, and Rose's insides gave another, less pleasant, lurch of surprise. She twisted in her seat just in time to see Charlie come to a stop in front of her. There was a wide smile spread across his handsome features.

"Hey Rose, Merry Christmas," he sat down next to her, his legs bouncing as if he couldn't keep them still. "Did you have a good break?"

"Yes thanks," said Rose politely, trying to ignore Dom's smirking across from her. "How about you?"

"Yeah, it was alright," Charlie said. "Just did the family thing. Anyway listen, you know it's the Ravenclaw – Slytherin game coming up next weekend?" he paused for dramatic effect, but Rose just blinked and shook her head. She paid very little attention to Quidditch in general, and even less when it didn't involve Gryffindor.

Charlie looked a little put out by her lack of interest, but quickly recovered and laughed instead. "Yeah, well, it's next Saturday. And Ravenclaw and Slytherin are both top of the ladder at the moment so…" he trailed off at Rose's glower. She really didn't need reminding that Gryffindor had lost to Slytherin earlier in the year, pretty much guaranteeing them second place in the Cup. James had locked himself in the shower for hours afterwards, and still couldn't talk about it without suffering face spasms.

"Hmph," was all Rose said.

"Uh…" Charlie looked nervous now. "Yeah, and, um…well, I'm probably going to play."

"I didn't think you were on the team," she said harshly. Dom kicked her hard under the table.

Charlie blushed. "Yeah, I'm not, but, umm…actually, don't worry about it." He made to stand up, but Rose put a hand on his arm.

"No, don't go," she said, feeling ashamed of her behaviour. She was acting like a childish sook. "I'm sorry, I just hate that we lost to Slytherin. Please, what were you going to say?"

Charlie hesitated, then sat back down, looking slightly mollified. "Well, our normal Seeker got caught trying to smuggle Firewhiskey into Hogwarts after Christmas. He's been given a one-match ban and I was the reserve, so," he smiled at her, "I was wondering if you'd come and watch me play on Saturday."

"Of course," she said quickly, wanting to make amends for her rudeness earlier. Watching a Quidditch game was no big deal, anyway. Most likely there would be a whole group of Gryffindors going down to watch, her cousins James and Fred included; she would just tag along with them.

"Awesome," Charlie beamed at her. Then, before she could react, he leant towards her and pressed his lips to her cheek for a quick kiss. She immediately felt her face begin to burn. "See you in class," he said, standing up and walking away.

"Aww Rose, he is _such _a cutie," said Dom happily once he was out of ear-shot. Her cousin had instantly brightened at the prospect of drama. "I'll make you look so beautiful on Saturday that he won't be able to pay any attention to what he's doing, he'll be too busy looking at you!"

Rose smiled weakly, but the rush of excitement she had been expecting didn't come. She raised her eyes and saw, to her surprise, that the spot where Scorpius had been sitting was empty.

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><p>They were practising nonverbal conjuring spells in Transfiguration. Since the start of the year they had progressed from small, simple objects like matches and needles, to more complex items such as birds and lizards. Today they were assigned the task of conjuring puppies, though Professor Millew assured them all rather drily that she didn't expect anyone to succeed for at least another week.<p>

Rose had her eyes scrunched in concentration and her tongue between her teeth, but so far all she had managed to conjure was a long, wagging tail. It wriggled on the desk in front of her like some kind of strange, disfigured worm. Next to her, Dom was waving her wand with ever increasing irritation.

"I swear I heard yapping!" she yelled suddenly, looking slightly wild. "Did you hear that Rose? Did you?"

"Er…"

"Oh never mind," sighed Dom, putting her wand down dejectedly. "It was probably only my brain cells exploding."

Rose snorted and flicked her wand again. This time she managed a tail and what looked like half a back leg. "Ugh," she muttered, vanishing the offensive limb while Dom laughed.

"Now now," said Professor Millew, swooping down on them and giving Dom a reproachful look. "There's no need to laugh, Miss Weasley. Miss…Weasley is doing a very fine job."

"Sorry ma'am," said Dom humbly, bowing her head and elbowing Rose in the side instead.

"That's quite alright. Rose, a word after class if you please," said the Professor, before sweeping past them. Rose blanched and shot a quick glance at Dom, who looked as surprised as she felt. A _word _never tended to indicate anything she would look forward to.

As was often the case when dreading something, time seemed to spin forward at a dizzying rate, and before Rose felt like she had even blinked the lesson was over and Dom was whispering "I'll wait for you outside" into her ear. Rose swallowed and made a show of packing up her books to delay the moment when she would have to face her Professor. Eventually, when she could stall no longer, she dragged herself forwards to the front of the class.

"You wanted to speak with me, Professor?"

Professor Millew's expression gave nothing away. "Please take a seat," she said calmly. Rose did as she was told, her sense of foreboding increasing.

"Miss Weasley," said Professor Millew, now sitting as well and lacing her fingers together on the table. "It has come to my attention that you and Mr Malfoy have not been participating in the Prefect lessons you were assigned."

Rose bit her lip and stared at the floor. She ought to have known it would be about this.

"Is this true?" asked Professor Millew.

Rose nodded stiffly.

"Very well," said her teacher with a heavy voice. "I'm sure you know how disappointed I am. I truly thought the two of you could overcome your differences. This is certainly not the behaviour I expected of a Gryffindor Prefect."

"Please, Professor," Rose looked up imploringly. "We'll start them right away, I promise. It's – it's my fault we haven't been going, and I'm sorry. We'll meet every Monday night from now until the end of term."

Professor Millew's eyebrows rose sharply as she surveyed Rose from across her desk. "I'm afraid it is out of my hands," she said at last. "It is up to the Headmistress now as to how you shall proceed. However," she added at Rose's stricken look. "I would recommend recommencing the lessons as soon as possible, in order to prove to Professor McGonagall and myself that you have committed to the assignment. That would be the best course of action for the time being, I believe."

Rose nodded, her brain feeling numb.

"Very well then Miss Weasley," said Professor Millew, as unsmiling and grave as ever. "Do try your best, won't you? I'm sure the Headmistress will be in touch with both you and Mr Malfoy shortly. Off you go then, off you go…" She waved her hand and Rose jumped up and scurried out of the classroom.

She explained what had happened to her cousin as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Dom clucked her tongue angrily at suitable intervals before tossing her head.

"It's ridiculously unfair," she said as they entered the Great Hall, already filled with chattering students enjoying their lunch. "I mean, McGonagall should have known this would happen, pairing you with Malfoy. He's alright with Albus but he's a total prat to everybody else."

Rose squirmed uncomfortably. Six months ago she would have heartily agreed with Dom and joined in her criticism, but now she couldn't help feeling that her cousin's assessment of Scorpius was a little unfair.

"…And every time he looks at me he has this arrogant, condescending look on his face, as if he thinks he's _so_ much better than me," Dom prattled on, oblivious to Rose's lack of enthusiasm. "Like, I mean, come on! His dad was a _Death _Eater; my dad's got _scars _from being attacked by him and his cronies. And _I'm _the one getting looked down on?"

"Mmm," said Rose half-heartedly. She glanced across at the Slytherin table, but Scorpius wasn't there. Her eyes picked out Al, talking animatedly to Hector Nott, occasionally running a hand through his messy black hair. Her cousin was a good guy, Rose thought slowly. Yet he was in Slytherin. Her father had always said that only the worst kinds of students got sorted into Slytherin, and that they had produced the most dark wizards of any House at Hogwarts. But that wasn't always true, was it?

"So when did Millew say you have to start lessons again?" asked Dom, jerking her out of her thoughts.

"Umm, today I guess," said Rose. "It is Monday, after all." Her stomach gave a small lurch. "I'll have to find Scorpius and tell him."

"Well you have Potions after lunch don't you?" said Dom, who had only received an A for Potions in her OWLs and therefore given it up. "You'll be able to talk to him there."

"Are you guys talking about Scorpius Malfoy?" interrupted their fellow Gryffindor sixth-year, Daisy Hopkins, who had clearly been listening in on their conversation. She leant towards them over the table, her blonde pigtails dangling and her eyes alight with gossip. "I heard he got into a fight and that's why he's not at lunch."

"A fight?" repeated Rose blankly. Her eyes swivelled back to the Slytherin table, where there was still no sign of Scorpius. "With whom?"

Daisy shook her head. "Don't know. But apparently it was in Charms, and you know the Slytherins take that class with the Ravenclaws, and I don't think Malfoy would fight someone in his own House, so…I think it was someone from Ravenclaw." Her eyes sparkled at the scandal.

Rose's eyes flicked to the Ravenclaw table and ran along the faces there, trying to see if someone was missing. Her heart sank when she reached the end of the line, and she turned back to Dom. "You don't think it was Charlie?" she said in a low voice so Daisy wouldn't overhear.

Dom's eyes widened and she too scanned the Ravenclaw table. "He's not there, is he?" she whispered excitedly. "But why would Malfoy fight with Charlie? They don't even know each other."

"Yeah…" said Rose, frowning in thought. "I dunno."

By the time lunch had finished and Rose had made her way to the dungeons for her Potions lesson, she was determined to simply sit next to Scorpius and force him to tell her what he was playing at. However, Scorpius was not there, and Professor Cauldrish, their bushy-eyebrowed Potions Master, began class as though unaware of his absence. When Scorpius did walk in, over ten minutes later, he went straight to the back of the class and sat down next to Albus, muttering an apology and refusing to meet anyone's gaze. At the sound of the bell, he jumped up and left the room so quickly Rose had not even moved from her seat before he was gone.

Harmony lessons after school did not appear a likely prospect.

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><p>Rose didn't normally have Prefect patrols on Monday night. But the Gryffindor fifth-year whose night it was had come running up to her as soon as lessons finished for the day, with tears in her eyes, and begged to be allowed to have the night off, claiming several unfinished essays and a bad head cold. Rose had half a mind to refuse, sure that she had just as much homework to complete, but the girl had seemed so frantic and desperate that she couldn't bring herself to say no. And so here she was, standing beside the portrait of Merwyn the Malicious on the third floor corridor, stifling a yawn and wishing time would speed up. She and Simoly Howard, the other Prefect on patrol that night, had decided to split floors in the interests of time. Though it wasn't technically allowed, Rose doubted anyone would ever be any the wiser, and she could have an extra half an hour to do her homework before bed.<p>

At that moment she had her ear pressed against Merwyn's frame, while the old wizard glared malevolently at her, in order to listen to the secret passageway his portrait guarded. It was not unknown for students to hide themselves in these concealed shortcuts, thinking that they would be safe from discovery there. But tonight there was nothing but silence.

Rose had just lifted her head away from the painting when there was a loud clatter in a room up ahead, followed by an equally loud curse that made Merwyn cackle appreciatively. Rose peered up the corridor in surprise, but nobody appeared.

"Might be a monster, little girly," growled the painting. "Better be _care_ful."

Rose ignored him and walked on towards the room from where the noise had come. The door was wide open, and there was a deal of commotion coming from inside. Thinking it might be Peeves, Rose drew her wand, braced herself to be sprayed with some ungodly substance, and walked in.

It was the Trophy Room. Rose recognised it instantly upon seeing the many glimmering gold surfaces lining the walls, cups of all shapes and sizes celebrating the various achievements of Hogwarts students. In the far corner of the room, a boy with platinum blonde hair was kneeling amid a pile of trophies, a bucket full of soapy water beside him. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and a dripping sponge was clenched in his fist as he glared down at the cup in his other hand.

"Hi," she said softly, and his head jerked up abruptly. The cup he was holding slipped out of his hand and landed with a crash onto the floor. "Sorry," she said, feeling her face heat up. "I didn't mean to – "

"What do you want?" he asked harshly, getting to his feet and dropping the sponge back into the bucket.

"I just – heard a noise and – what are you – "

"I'm on detention," said Scorpius flatly. He stared at her for a minute. "You?"

"Prefect patrol," she said quickly.

"Right," said Scorpius. He gestured to the paraphernalia at his feet, his upper lip curling with distaste. "Filch's got me cleaning trophies without magic."

"Filch?" Rose spun around, half expecting to see the unpleasant face of Arduous Filch leering at her, but the room was quite empty besides themselves. "Where is he?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Off prowling with his cat, most likely. He'll probably be back soon though. You should go," he looked away from her.

Taking a deep breath, Rose took two steps forward into the room, closing the door behind her so that their voices didn't carry into the corridor. "Actually I – I wanted to talk to you, if…if that's okay?"

Scorpius stiffened, but didn't say anything.

"Professor Millew spoke to me today about…our lessons," oh bother, she was blushing. "She said we have to start having them or we're going to get in trouble."

"Yeah…whatever," he said coolly.

"So we should meet next Monday, in the library, like before?" she persisted.

He shrugged, still not meeting her gaze. "Sure."

"Why are you in detention?" Rose asked and then, before she could stop herself, "Did you fight with Charlie Corner?"

Scorpius' head snapped up at her words, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you – who told you that?"

"Oh, it was pretty obvious," she said casually, trying to sound as if it was nothing. He didn't look convinced. "So did you?"

"None of your business," snapped Scorpius, and he grabbed the soapy sponge and gave it a vicious squeeze. His anger was as good as an admission.

"Why did you do it?" she said, taking another few steps into the room.

"_None _of your business_,_" Scorpius repeated furiously, picking up a trophy and scrubbing it as though his life depended on its cleanliness.

"Scorpius – "

"He was mouthing off," he spat abruptly. "Talking shit, alright?"

Rose titled her head in disbelief. "I can hardly imagine Charlie mouthing off," she said calmly. "It's not in his character."

There was a clatter; Scorpius had dropped his trophy again. He stared at her, his grey eyes flashing with resentment. Rose's heart skipped a little and she bit her lip. "Yes," said Scorpius bitterly, his jaw very tight. "You would know all about Corner's _character, _wouldn't you?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she said heatedly, anger flaring within her. She strode right up to him, kicking aside a cup as she did so. "What is your _problem_?"

Scorpius looked so angry that for a moment Rose thought he might curse her. He threw aside the sponge – it landed with a splat on the ground – then reached out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him until she crashed into his chest. "_This _is my problem," he growled, and then he was kissing her, his lips crushing hers, hard and demanding.

Rose whimpered, unprepared for the jolt of pleasure that ran through her at his touch. She was responding before she could stop herself, arching against him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Scorpius groaned, and shifted so that he was holding her properly. Keeping one hand on her waist, he entangled his other hand in her hair, cupping her head and pulling her closer into him. She moaned when he deepened the kiss, her whole body vibrating with the sensations flooding her.

They stumbled backwards, Scorpius' back hitting the shelves forcefully and sending several of the smaller trophies crashing to the floor. He didn't seem to notice, but continued to kiss her hungrily, his arms squeezing her against him. Rose's knees grew weak and she grabbed a desperate hold of his shoulders to stop herself from falling. She had never imagined that kissing could feel so good, so powerful…she moaned again and pressed into his chest, forgetting about everything except the feeling of him against her.

There was a soft meow behind them, echoing in the silence. Rose jumped in fright, breaking the kiss, and spun around, her heart hammering so hard it was almost painful. Filch's cat Norleen was silhouetted in the small gap between the door and wall that had been left when Rose had entered, her large amber eyes glowing in the dim light cast by the torches. She gave another accusatory meow before turning and slipping back into the corridor.

Rose took a deep, steadying breath, holding on to the edge of a shelf for support. She had no idea what had just happened. One minute they had been yelling at each other, and then…oh Merlin…her heart was still racing and her brain felt foggy and disorientated. Where had that come from? She couldn't even –

"She'll have gone to get Filch," said Scorpius thickly, his voice as unsteady as she felt. "You should get out of here before he comes."

Rose nodded. Yes, she should leave. She took a shaky step towards the door, unable to look at Scorpius. Then another, and another, until she was leaning against the doorframe, breathing heavily as though she had run a marathon.

"Rose," she looked back when he said her name. Scorpius was still standing against the wall, surrounded by the trophies that had fallen from the shelves, his face flushed and his hair dishevelled. Even from a distance she could see how red his lips were, and she blushed, thinking of what they had just done.

Scorpius had opened his mouth but now closed it again, seemingly changing his mind on whatever he had been about to say. "Go," he said at last, and Rose nodded. She turned and hurried off down the corridor, trying to convince herself that she wasn't completely insane.

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><p><strong>AN: First, I apologise for the wait. I have a million excuses as to why, some of them trivial - like my footy team being absolutely hopeless and making me too depressed to write - and some of them less so, like my Grandfather passing away. He lived a very long, full life, and he died peacefully, in his sleep, but still, I've definitely been feeling too down to even think about fanfiction. But anyway! I got this chapater up, and even though I wasn't entirely happy with it for some reason, I didn't think deliberating any longer would achieve anything. So...here it is. **

**I seem to have a hit a stumbling block in my muse, as well, which sucks. It's annoying because I have the whole story planned out in my head, and I know where it's going, but I'm just up to a really tricky part, and I can't seem to get it right, unfortunately. I know what I want to have happen, but somewhere between my brain and the keyboard, it is getting lost in translation. Ah well, I'll keep plugging along, and hopefully get through it.**

**Hope you're all well. Reviews make the sun come out on this dreary winter's day :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here is my offering for the day. Hope you like it :)**

_Sixth Year, Part Eight_

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><p>When Rose woke up on Tuesday morning, it took her a moment to realise why her heart was hammering. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over her. She sat up abruptly, mind whirring, and tore back her hangings, half expecting to see Scorpius smirking at her from the other side. Instead she came face to face with a bleary-eyed Dominique, mid-way through getting up as well.<p>

"What's wrong?" her cousin asked sleepily.

Rose stopped short and looked around her, her heart rate slowing as she took in her surroundings. Their shared bedroom was dark and still had the muffled heaviness of sleep to it. Daisy was curled in bed, grumbling incoherently; Peoria had gone off to the bathroom; Dom was yawning hugely. Rose took a deep, calming breath and ran her hands over her face. Scorpius wasn't there. No one knew what had happened last night. She needed to get a grip.

"Rose?" Dom was peering at her now. She shook her head hurriedly.

"Nothing," she said as casually as possible. "Something just startled me, that's all." That wasn't technically a lie.

"Right," Dom continued to look sceptical, but she didn't say anything else as they dressed and prepared for the day. By the time they sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall, her cousin had completely forgotten the matter in lieu of complaining about her unfinished Herbology assignment and a letter from her mother announcing Fleur's intention to visit during their next Hogsmeade weekend.

"I bet she brings Victoire," groaned Dom, shooing away the owl that had brought the letter and receiving a nip on the finger in return. "They probably just want to look at wedding decorations or something. And tell Louis off for getting in detention."

"Louis got detention?" asked Rose, only half listening. She was watching the doors that led into the Entrance Hall with a growing feeling of unease.

"Didn't you hear?" Dom rolled her eyes. "Hugo as well. Both the little idiots got caught by Filch dropping fireworks on the fourth floor corridor."

"Hugo?" Rose tore her eyes away from the entrance and back to Dom. Then she swivelled and glared at her little brother, who was eating his breakfast a little way down the Gryffindor table, his dark copper hair sticking up in all directions. "Hugo!" she snapped, and he raised his head to look at her.

"What?"

"Did you get detention?" she asked him in a scandalised voice.

He shrugged. "None of your business," he said sullenly.

She gaped at him for a moment, taking in his messy hair, obstinate demeanour and the school robes that looked just a little too disarrayed and faded to be quite acceptable. His words echoed in her ear, recalling someone else to her mind. "Hugo!" she said again to distract her from her thoughts. "Of course it's my business you prat, I'm your sister. Did you really drop fireworks in the corridor?"

He nodded, but didn't look the slightest bit abashed.

"With Louis?" she persisted, casting a disapproving glance at the Ravenclaw table where Louis' silver blonde head was also visible. He was sitting between two fourth-year girls, chatting animatedly, and didn't seem to have a care in the world.

"What's it to you anyway?" challenged Hugo, his voice rising a little bit so that several other Gryffindors turned to look at them. "Since when do you care?"

"I – that's – just…" she spluttered. Hugo was looking at her very resentfully now, and Rose couldn't help but blush a little bit. Alright, so perhaps she hadn't _quite _been paying attention to her brother like she should have, but that was no reason for the attitude.

Hugo rolled his eyes and returned to his breakfast. Rose huffed for a moment or two before she noticed something. "Where's Lily?" she asked, blinking at the empty spot next to Hugo where their cousin usually sat. Her brother shrugged again and his scowl deepened.

"Dunno, do I?" he said, before getting abruptly to his feet, and swinging his schoolbag onto his back. "See you later Rose."

She watched him go, then turned to Dominique, who looked like she couldn't decide whether to act sympathetic or amused. "What's _his _problem?" asked Rose hollowly.

"Teenage boys," said Dom airily. "Don't ask me to understand how their brains function. Louis' exactly the same, you can't get a sensible word out of him. Anyway so have you decided what you're going to wear on Saturday?"

Rose's stomach gave a sickening lurch, and all thoughts of Hugo immediately fled her mind. It didn't help that Scorpius chose that moment to appear for breakfast. Albus was at his side, and he grinned when he saw Rose looking, clearly mistaking her stare as her wanting to say good morning. Scorpius didn't look at her.

"Er…Rose?" Dom waved a hand in front of her face, and she snapped back to attention.

"What, sorry?" she asked, then shook her head. "No, I haven't. It's only Tuesday. Besides, I don't really want to think about it."

She couldn't for the life of her figure out what she had been thinking last night. Rose snuck another surreptitious glance over at the Slytherin table, where Scorpius had sat down and started helping himself to food, his expression as bored and indifferent as ever. In the cold light of day, her actions the previous night seemed even more incomprehensible to her. _How _could she have allowed that kiss? And the way she had responded…Rose blushed and looked down at her plate. How could she have lost control like that? And with _Malfoy, _of all people?

Dom was pouting at her. She tried several more times to draw Rose into conversation about her upcoming 'date', as she insisted on calling it, but Rose merely mumbled in response or else plain ignored her questions. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to take much notice of Dominique and she didn't want to think about the coming Saturday at all.

"Fine," huffed Dom after a little while, in a tone of great annoyance, and she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Be like that then." When the bell rang signalling the start of class, her cousin stalked away without waiting for her, clearly offended by the lack of interest. Rose sighed and followed her, wondering how many more people she could upset before the day was out.

She was halfway up the marble steps leading from the Entrance Hall on her way to Transfiguration when she heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw Charlie Corner hurrying towards her, a cheerful grin spread across his face. Rose quickly took in his appearance, searching for any scars or markings, but he appeared to be perfectly normal; clearly, whatever Scorpius had done to him had only been temporary.

"Hi," she said when he reached her, feeling guilty that she had to force herself to smile at him. "Are you alright?"

"Er, yes," Charlie said, as though confused by her question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I…um, heard you got hexed yesterday," she said. Her curiosity was getting the better of her, as ever. "By Malfoy?"

Charlie looked surprised for a moment, then he laughed. "What, in Charms? No no, that was just an accident."

"An…accident?" repeated Rose dumbly. "But I thought – "

"Yeah, Scorpius and Albus were just mucking around, and one of their spells ricocheted and hit me by mistake," said Charlie with supreme confidence. "Pomfrey fixed it straight up, so no harm done. Obviously Malfoy got detention for being an idiot in class, but then, that's to be expected isn't it? He's a Prefect, so he should know better, but as they say…stupid is as stupid – "

"So it was an accident?" Rose stared hard at Charlie, but he blinked back at her with nothing but mild bewilderment.

"Yes, of course. I mean, Malfoy would never _deliberately_ hex me," he gave a short laugh, as though the thought such a thing happening was absurd. "So what else could it have been?"

"I dunno," said Rose faintly. She bit her lip, her mind was working furiously. It all seemed very strange. Had she been wrong to get the impression from Scorpius last night that he had done it on purpose? But no, he had definitely said that he had aimed at Charlie. But now Charlie was acting as if it was all a big mistake. Clearly they couldn't both be right.

"Anyway, just wanted to make sure you're still up for the game on Saturday," said Charlie, lowering his voice as a few third-year Slytherins passed them. "We're training every night this week. Gotta make sure we don't lose. You're coming, right?"

Rose opened her mouth to reply but at that moment Professor Millew came out of the Great Hall and saw them dawdling on the steps. "Weasley! Corner!" she barked, bustling towards them. "Class, now!"

Charlie shot her a grin and hurried off back down the steps, while Rose turned and followed her Professor in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom, her eyebrows drawn into a frown.

* * *

><p>The day of the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch match dawned with the same overcast gloom that had been shadowing Hogwarts for much of winter. A light sheet of drizzle was sweeping like misty curtains across the grounds, and the bruised underbellies of clouds fought each other in the sky as Rose and the rest of the Gryffindors headed outside to the pitch. Dom, whom she was dragging along, was sulking by her side, while James, Fred and Hugo chatted animatedly about the upcoming game in front of them. The three boys had brightened significantly upon realising that there was still a chance – a very small, but nevertheless very real chance – that Gryffindor could win the Cup. James had been repeating the necessary score lines like a mantra all morning, as though he could fix the result simply through stubborn repetition.<p>

Rose was wearing her school robes over a long-sleeved white skivvy and navy blue jeans, her red hair down and a Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck. Dom had attacked her with make-up as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, but had so far failed in getting her to apply anything heavier than a coat of lip gloss. Her cousin had also been trying to get her to wear one of Calvin Davies leftover Ravenclaw scarfs, which she also obstinately refused. She didn't think she wanted the attention that wearing Ravenclaw colours would bring, and it was just a little too close to a pronouncement of affection than she felt comfortable with. Plus, there was also the tiny detail of Scorpius. Rose tried not to let her mind wander in that direction.

"I hope it doesn't rain all day," moaned Dom as they made their way up to the top of the Gryffindor stands, from where they would have an uninterrupted view of the pitch. "My hair's going to get _ruined._"

Hugo turned around and rolled his eyes dramatically at them. Rose grinned. As far as she could tell, her brother had clearly gotten over whatever had been bothering him, and had returned to his normal state of being an annoying little brat as often as possible. He and Lily were still acting a little cold towards each other, at least in comparison to their usual inseparable nature, but Rose was sure they would sort it out eventually. Merlin knew she had enough on her own plate to deal with without their dramas as well.

Truth be told, she was actually quite looking forward to this Quidditch game. It was nice for all the family to do something together, especially since Fred, James and Hugo were normally playing whenever she went to watch a game, instead of sitting with them. Louis had come to join them as well, proudly decked in his Ravenclaw attire, which meant that of all the Potter-Weasley clan left at Hogwarts, everyone except Albus, who was playing, was there watching. It made for a nice sort of family reunion, Rose thought sentimentally, as she settled more comfortably in her seat.

"Welcome everyone, to the third Hogwarts Quidditch match of the season, the undefeated Ravenclaw taking on the undefeated Slytherin," the voice of Malachy McLaggen, Rose's fellow Gryffindor sixth year, boomed magically across the grounds. He was sitting in the commentary box alongside the hawkish, scowling Professor Cauldrish. As the teams made their way onto the pitch, he called out their names one by one.

"And here come the Ravenclaws, led by their captain Tom Filmouth, followed by Turrett, Lee, Boot, Jarvis, Goldman aaand Corner," he announced, as one half of the stadium erupted in cheers. "And for the Slytherins, it's Warrington, Harper, Potter, Goyle, Bulstrode, Blishwick aaand Malfoy." Now it was the other sides turn to roar.

"Of course, you'll all be well aware of the importance of this match in the rankings," continued McLaggen, as the two captains advanced to the middle of the pitch and shook hands under the stern gaze of the Referee Madam Howler. "The winner will most likely win the Quidditch Cup. That is unless Gryffindor can make a miraculous recovery and snatch a victory, wouldn't that be nice?" There was a chorus of boos from the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. "Alright alright, I get it," grumbled McLaggen. "And now…they're off!"

On Madam Howler's whistle, the balls were released and the fourteen players shot into the air. Rose saw Scorpius and Charlie rise higher than the rest, their eyes already sweeping the stadium for a hint of gold.

"And it's Potter – Albus Potter, for Slytherin, with the Quaffle. Youngest son of Harry Potter, you all know who he is, a hero of Gryffindor House, wonder what he thinks seeing his son playing for Slyth – "

"Enough!" growled Professor Cauldrish.

"Sorry, sorry Professor," said McLaggen, although he didn't sound the slightest bit remorseful. "And Potter's ducked Filmouth – oh, nice Bludger there from the Ravenclaw Beater Jarvis…Potter drops the Quaffle and it's caught by Lee, back to Turrett, back to Lee, he's heading back up the pitch, he's close to Ravenclaw's goals now, he's – been hit from behind by a Bludger from Goyle….Lee drops the Quaffle!. It's caught by Chad Warrington, Chad Warrington of Slytherin reverse-passes to Albus Potter and Potter's away – "

Rose had squeezed her eyes shut when Albus had been hit by the Bludger, but now opened them again to watch Albus zoom back up the pitch, the Quaffle tucked under one arm and a very determined look on his face. His black hair streamed behind him as he dodged a bludger, swerved past a Ravenclaw Chaser, and raced toward the Slytherin goals.

"And Potter's just got the Keeper to beat now! – He swerves right! He shoots – HE SCORES!"

Goldman, the Ravenclaw Keeper, had missed. There was a collective groan from the Ravenclaw side of the stands as the Quaffle sailed between his outstretched hands, while the Slytherin side erupted in cheers and began to sing loudly. Rose clapped enthusiastically as well, ignoring the dirty looks she received from a few nearby Ravenclaws, including Louis.

The Ravenclaws were quick to reply, and soon the people around her were cheering as Tom Filmouth scored a goal down the other end. Rose applauded that as well; she was supposed to be a neutral, after all.

After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Slytherin had scored six more times to Ravenclaw's five, giving them a narrow ten point lead. Rose's head was hurting from keeping up with the play, which raced from one of the pitch to the other at a dizzying pace. The two teams were very evenly matched, and it was proving to be an entertaining, highly-skilled game so far.

"Ooh!" said Dom suddenly, and she grabbed Rose's arm, pointing upwards. "Look Rose! Up there!"

Rose looked where Dom was pointing and saw Scorpius and Charlie hovering next to each other high above the play. At first glance, she didn't notice anything unusual, but then she saw the look of suppressed fury on Scorpius' face, and her stomach gave a familiar lurch. Charlie's mouth was moving rapidly.

"What do you think he's saying?" said Dom.

"I…don't know," said Rose, her eyes never leaving the pair of Seekers. Scorpius made to fly off, but Charlie blocked him, still talking fast. Malfoy's eyes flashed and he said something in response, which made Charlie falter momentarily.

"LEE SCORES!" roared McLaggen, jerking Rose back to the play. The Ravenclaws around her cheered loudly. "SCORES ARE LEVEL!"

She looked back up just in time to see Scorpius flying straight at Charlie. They collided heavily in mid-air, and Charlie slid dangerously off of his broom, only managing to cling on at the last moment. Several other students were pointing upwards now, and Madam Howler's long, shrill whistle blast rent the air, alerting everyone that there had been a foul.

"And it's a penalty to Ravenclaw for Malfoy's deliberate skinning of Corner," announced McLaggen in a satisfied voice. "Very foul play by the Slytherin Seeker there. But then, that's to be expected when you're dealing with – ahem," Professor Cauldrish was growling once more. "That is to say, Dylan Turrett with the Quaffle, to take the penalty. And he's put it through! Ravenclaw by ten points!"

Albus had flown up to Scorpius, and was gesticulating fervently to him. Rose didn't need to lip read to know what he was saying; it was quite clear Albus was telling his friend to ignore Charlie and look for the Snitch instead. Scorpius scowled and nodded, before flying away to the other end of the pitch. Charlie, looking shaken but otherwise okay, flew after him.

The match resumed with a fiercer intensity than ever before. The Slytherin Captain Warrington scored once more, levelling the scores. Rose found herself biting her lip in nervous anticipation as she watched Scorpius circling above the play, eyes keened for any hint of gold.

"And it's Potter with the Quaffle," McLaggen's commentary continued. "He passes to Harper, who passes to Warrington, who – dodges a Bludger but drops the Quaffle and Lee – er – drops it too, so now it's Potter with the Quaffle again, he's off up the pitch – "

"Come on Al," Rose muttered under her breath, her fingers crossed as her cousin flew towards the Ravenclaw keeper.

" – and Potter's dodged Turrett, he's heading straight for goal, he – ooh, that's gotta hurt."

Boot, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, had sent a Bludger flying straight at Albus, who had been too intent on scoring to duck in time. It had hit him hard in the face.

There was a loud groan from the crowd. Albus' nose looked broken; it was streaming blood. Madam Howler blew her whistle, but at that moment a collective gasp rushed through the stadium, and everyone pointed upwards. For the two Seekers had suddenly gone into a dive, moving so fast through the air their figures were merely a blur of green and blue.

"They've seen the Snitch!" shrieked Dom. "Look, Rose, they've seen it!"

Play had come to a stop, as everyone focused on Scorpius and Charlie. Albus was hanging in mid-air, his face covered in blood, watching as the two players lunged downwards. Rose had no idea who had dived first; they were level with each other now, hurtling towards the ground. And suddenly, Rose knew what was going to happen before it did.

"They're going to crash!" cried Lily.

"They're not!" roared James.

The two Seekers swerved unexpectedly to the right, and shot towards the stands. Rose felt like she was watching a replay of something that had happened already. She closed her eyes.

There was a deafening crash. The ground shook, as the sound of splintering wood reverberated around the stadium, mingling with the unified intake of breath from the watching crowd. Rose opened her eyes, and saw that a large hole had been made in one of the stands, a mess of broken beams and shredded cloth. Charlie was hovering on his broom just above the wreckage, his face drained of colour, and within the carnage, stirring feebly…

"Is he alright?" asked Dom breathlessly. "I can't believe it – he just flew straight into the stands."

"Crazy son of a Bludger," chuckled James appreciatively. Rose glared at him; she could see nothing funny about the situation.

Madame Howler had flown over, and was waving her wand, sending bits of wood and material flying out of the way, clearing a path for Scorpius. Albus was hot on her heels, his face still covered in blood and his green eyes frantic.

"And, uh, a nasty crash there by Scorpius into the Northern Stand," said McLaggen, and Rose blinked. She had almost forgotten there was a Quidditch match going on. Now she saw that the Ravenclaw players were all still floating in the air, looking unsure as to whether the game was over or not.

After a moment of tense silence, Scorpius managed to clamber to his feet, balancing on one of the broken beams. He looked badly bruised, his robes were torn, and there was a deep gash across one cheek, but his grin was broad as he remounted his broom, flew straight past Madam Howler and Albus, and lifted one of his arms triumphantly into the air, showing the crowd the small, struggling golden ball clenched in his fist.

There was an instant uproar. The Slytherins roared in victory and leapt to their feet. The Ravenclaws, and most of the neutrals, slumped in their seats, and more than a few people could be heard complaining about the way the match had ended. The players themselves flew down to the ground, and dismounted sullenly, although the Ravenclaw Captain had the grace to come forward and shake Warrington's hand as McLaggen's voice rang out over the stands.

"And it appears Malfoy has caught the Snitch. Scorpius Malfoy, Slytherin Seeker, has caught the Snitch. Slytherin win, 230 to 80. He looks like he'll be alright, too, the crazy…" he trailed off, and moments later Rose saw him point his wand back at his throat, removing the magical enchantment on his voice.

"Well that's not fair!" yelled Louis, standing up in outrage and shaking his fist. "He didn't even catch the Snitch, he just flew into the stands and got lucky!"

"He caught it," said James calmly. "Fair and square. Your Seeker was just too much of a wimp to do what was required. What I'm more concerned about," he said, turning to Fred and Hugo with a thoughtful look. "Is how does this affect our chances of winning?" The three of them put their heads together and began to whisper rapidly.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Lily, as the group slowly made their way down to the ground again. She sounded worried. "Malfoy, I mean. That was an awful crash."

"Don't worry Lils, he'll be fine," said James assuredly, ruffling his younger sister's hair. "That happens in Quidditch sometimes, y'know."

Lily scowled at her older brother's patronising tone. But Rose wasn't paying much attention. She was walking slowly, her mind still on the events of the match. It took her a moment to realise someone was speaking to her.

"Rose?" Dom was grinning slyly at her.

"What?" she asked, not liking the look on her cousin's face at all.

"Don't you think you'd better go and talk to Charlie," she said, and pointed back onto the pitch. Charlie was standing there, and when he caught her eye he gestured for her to come over and speak to him. Rose's stomach did a strange little backflip.

"Er, I suppose," she said. Aware of her family watching her, she hurried over to where Charlie was waiting.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi Rose," Charlie smiled at her, but it was more like a grimace. Clearly, he was disappointed with the outcome of the match. "Guess that didn't turn out quite like we wanted, huh?"

"Umm, yeah," she said. "Sorry about that."

Charlie ran a hand through his wind-swept hair. "Ah well," he said begrudgingly. "I'm not mad enough to fly straight into a building. Malfoy's just…" he shook his head as though lost for words. "Anyway, thanks for coming."

He leant towards her and she knew at once that he was going to kiss her.

"It was…no problem," she squeaked, and then, deciding at once to take matters into her own hands, she stepped forwards and kissed Charlie very quickly on the corner of his mouth, just the slightest pressure of lips on lips, before she backed away.

Charlie looked stunned. Rose blushed profusely and took a few more steps backwards. "I'll – see you round then," she mumbled. Spinning on her heel, she hurried away before Charlie could say anything else, making it back to the Castle in record time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I absolutely love all the reviews I've been getting. Seriously, you guys rock. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

_Sixth Year, Part Nine_

* * *

><p>It was Monday. That in itself was enough to make Rose want to curl up and go back to sleep for the entire day. The prospect of reconciling for lessons with Scorpius made her feel physically ill, and her head began to throb the instant she opened her eyes. Rose groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her face to block out the morning light. Unfortunately, this tactic didn't work for very long, and far too soon she found herself stumbling out of bed, feeling decidedly foul-tempered and out of sorts.<p>

Rose dragged herself through breakfast, ignoring the people around her, including Dom, and refusing to meet anyone's gaze. She snoozed through most of Professor Binns' lecture on nonverbal counter jinxes in Defence Against the Dark Arts (Professor Doogle was still sick with Scrofungulus) and positively wilted under Professor Millew's stern gaze in Transfiguration when she failed to show any improvement in conjuring spells. Lunch was a similarly morbid affair; Rose kept sending furtive glances over to the Slytherin table, trying to catch Scorpius' eye, but he continued to act for all the world as though she didn't exist.

It was with a cold sort of dread that she took her seat in Potions, sliding in next to Albus with a mumbled hello. The room felt below freezing, and none of the layers she was wearing seemed to be keeping her warm. Rose sighed inwardly; it was times like these that she really wished Dom hadn't given up Potions. Her cousin could be annoying, but she sure had a warming effect and her chatter helped the time to pass quicker.

"You look nice and glum," remarked Albus, as the class settled themselves in their seats. He lowered his voice as Professor Cauldrish swept into the room, frowning and hawkish as usual. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, did you?"

Rose glowered at him.

"Would've thought you'd be in a better mood," he continued in an overly casual voice. "Considering what you got up to on the weekend."

She stiffened. "What are you talking about?" she looked at him and saw that a wry smile was playing at the corners of his mouth. "I didn't get _up_ to anything."

He raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Scorpius told me he saw you and Charlie snogging, after the Quidditch match. Charlie Corner, Rose? Really?"

"It was hardly a _snog_," she said scornfully, her face heating up and her stomach giving an uncomfortable squirm. Scorpius had seen them? He couldn't have been watching them, could he? She would have noticed… "And it's none of your business."

"S'pose," said Al, now arranging his potion ingredients in front of him. "But I personally think you could do better than that Ravenclaw prat."

"He's _not _a prat," said Rose fiercely. "Charlie's a good guy. And what's so bad about Ravenclaw anyway? At least he's not in _Slytherin._" She regretted her spiteful comment immediately when Al's face contracted in a scowl.

"Yeah, whatever" he said shortly, rolling his eyes and looking away from her. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes until Scorpius walked in, accompanied by Flora Bletchley, the other Slytherin sixth-year Prefect. Rose watched as the two of them made their way to the back of the room and sat on Albus' other side, without so much as a cursory glance at her.

Rose spent most of the Potions lesson fuming over the Babbling Beverage Professor Cauldrish had instructed them to create. She knew she wasn't doing as well as she could have if she concentrated more, but she was too irritated to care. _Everything_ was annoying her, from the cold, to the puffs of steam rising from all the cauldrons in the room that made her feel lightheaded, to the low murmur of chatter generated from her right between Albus, Scorpius, and Flora. She tossed her lacewing flies into her cauldron and watched as the mixture bubbled and turned a bright lime green. Her eyes darted up and scanned the instructions on the blackboard at the front of the class; now she had to stir in a counter-clockwise direction, evenly and without pausing, for ten minutes. Oh joy…

At least the monotony of moving her arm in a continuous circular motion allowed her mind to drift a little. Rose gave a heavy sigh, watching as the surface of her solution rippled in response. By her side she could hear Albus and Scorpius discussing Quidditch in whispers…nothing new there. Her eyes wandered further around the room, observing the rest of the class. They were all bent over their cauldrons, silent for the most part. But her head sure was hurting. Rose blinked and looked back at her cauldron, only to see that it was beginning to thicken alarmingly. Was that supposed to be happening? She shot a glance at Albus, who was also stirring, and saw that his had the consistency of watery soup. Hers more closely resembled soft serve. Panicking slightly, Rose read through the instructions again, and felt her heart sink…she had forgotten to add essence of Belladonna.

"Oh no," she moaned, dropping her ladle and snatching up the vial containing her Belladonna. Albus looked sideways at her in surprise. She almost never made a mistake in Potions, and she had certainly never missed an entire ingredient. Her solution was now so thick it was like poorly congealed cement. Frantic, Rose allowed two drops of the Belladonna to fall into the mixture – it hissed and began to smoke copiously. Several people turned their heads at the sound.

"Uh oh." Rose grabbed her ladle again and began to stir urgently. Her head was feeling heavier than lead and the fumes issuing from her cauldron were making her vision blur. The world seemed to tilt momentarily, before righting itself.

"Er, Rose, are you alright?" asked Albus in concern.

She looked at him and found she couldn't quite focus on his face; his outline seemed strangely blurred.

"Rose?" he repeated, and she felt him put a hand on her arm.

"I don't – " she took a step back from her steaming cauldron, to get away from the noxious fumes now spewing from it, and swayed on the spot, blinking rapidly and trying to steady herself. Why was her head reeling? She had been fine a moment ago. "I don't feel so good," she said, as the room gave another sickening wobble.

"What happened?" Albus reached out and placed his palm against her forehead. "Merlin, you're burning up Rose."

Burning up? She felt freezing. Rose put her own hand on her forehead and groaned; her head was throbbing. "I'm…"

"She should go to the Hospital Wing," said another voice, a cold, smooth drawl. "She's sick, Al. Take her to Madam Pomfrey."

"Yeah," said Al, and he put both his hands on her shoulders. "Professor! Professor I think I need to take Rose to the Hospital Wing. She's – "

But Rose didn't hear anything else, because at that moment her mind went blank and she slumped forwards into oblivion.

* * *

><p>Her head was full of a dull buzzing, like a swarm of angry bees. Rose was lying on her back, on a bed, with no idea of how she had ended up there. Slowly, she cracked open one eye; it watered painfully against the light. The swarm of bees grew louder. She tried to clear her throat, which was as dry as sandpaper, but only succeeded in producing a low grating sound.<p>

There was movement to her left, though she couldn't see who was there. "Are you awake?" said a voice.

Rose nodded ever so slightly. She wished someone would turn out the light; it was making her head ache.

"Hold on," the voice said, and there was a scraping like a chair being pushed back. "I'll get Pomfrey."

Pomfrey? So she was in the Hospital Wing then. Rose lay quite still, allowing the memory of earlier in the day to flood through her – she had been in the dungeons, in Potions, and she'd been feeling sick and dizzy. Albus had told her to go to the Hospital Wing, that she wasn't well. Then…she must have passed out. Rose swallowed uncomfortably and opened her other eye, squinting in the bright light.

A second later a shadow fell over her and she saw Madam Pomfrey's kind, wizened face staring down at her in hazy definition. There was somebody standing behind her whose face Rose couldn't see.

"Hello, Rose dear," said Madam Pomfrey in a soft voice. "How are you feeling? You've had quite a scare, haven't you? Well, that's not to worry, we'll get you back on your feet in no time. Just sit up, dear, and drink this." The nurse offered her what looked like a cup of steaming purple liquid, which was giving off a strong smell of crushed blueberries.

Knowing better than to argue with the Matron, Rose wriggled into a sitting position and took the cup, allowing its sickly sweet but somehow heartening fumes to wash over her as Madam Pomfrey bustled away again. She had certainly had worse medicines administered to her by her mother when she was younger. Rose stared into the thick purple liquid, thinking of her failed Babbling Beverage and wondering whether Professor Cauldrish would let her make up for it one night after school.

"You're supposed to drink that, you know."

Rose nearly dropped the cup in surprise; her fingers slipped and she only just caught it in time. Looking up, she saw a pair of silvery-grey eyes twinkling with mild amusement at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked rather abruptly.

Scorpius leaned back in his chair, stretching. "_Such _a pleasant girl," he drawled.

Her head gave a particularly painful throb, and she winced. Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Drink that," he said, pointing to her goblet. "It'll help."

She pursed her lips stubbornly, knowing he was right. "What is it?" she asked with a sniff.

Scorpius shrugged. "Beats me. But if Pomfrey gave it to you I doubt it's intended to do anything except make you feel better."

Couldn't really argue with that logic. And her head certainly _was_ hurting. Rose grimaced and downed the potion in one go; it was warm, and very sweet, as it trickled down her throat. Immediately, a sort of tingling warmth began to spread through her, starting from her chest and spreading to her fingers and toes. It was as though someone had just given her a pleasant electric shock.

"So I'm guessing, from your expression, that it wasn't any kind of deadly poison?" remarked Scorpius sarcastically.

"No, it was…some sort of Pepper-Up Potion, I think," said Rose, grinning as another jolt of warmth shot through her. The buzzing in her head had receded to a very quiet murmur, and she felt comfortable and relaxed. She looked over at Scorpius, who was watching her with an unfathomable expression on his face. "So, um, what…happened?"

"When, in Potions?" he asked.

She nodded, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks.

"You fainted," said Scorpius bluntly. "Albus and I dragged you up here. That's about it, really."

"So where is my no good cousin?" said Rose, looking around for Albus' lanky frame. "Surely he should be here, mourning over my sick bed?"

"We had to go back to class."

She stared at him in confusion, before comprehension dawned on her. "Wait…how long have I been asleep?" she asked, then, without waiting for an answer, she swivelled around to look at the clock which hung above the front doors. It was almost five. "Oh no," she groaned.

"Yes, it's tragic," drawled Scorpius. "Your Babbling Beverage will be greatly missed."

Rose glared at him. Then (since her brain was working much slower than normal) something occurred to her. "So, if you went back to class…then…why are you here now?"

"Our lesson," he replied swiftly. "I figured you wouldn't want a minor fainting attack to disrupt the plan. McGonagall's breathing down our necks enough as it is."

"Oh," she said, not quite sure why she felt disappointed at his answer. It wasn't like there was any other reason he would be visiting her in the Hospital Wing. She should just be grateful he had come and seemed to be in a co-operative mood. "Of course."

Scorpius appeared to be scrutinizing her closely. Rose blushed under his stare; she was thinking of their kiss, despite trying her hardest not to. She just couldn't help remembering the molten look in his eyes when he had grabbed her, pulled her against him and kissed her; the power, the abandonment that was so uncharacteristic of him. He had said _this _was his problem? Did that mean _she _was? Would he kiss her again? Could she refuse him if he did?

She was spared from having to dwell anymore on such agonising questions by the re-emergence of Madam Pomfrey. The old nurse bustled over to her with a smile.

"Feeling better dear?" she asked fondly, picking up the empty goblet of medicine that Rose had drunk.

"Yes, thanks," said Rose. "Do you know what happened?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Just exhaustion, it seems. Although I've no doubt that awful dungeon and the fumes from all those potions didn't help. I've _told _Professor Cauldrish a dozen times that it's not suitable to brew strong concoctions in such a closed environment, especially in the middle of winter with half the kids sick already, but do you think he listens to me_? _No, I'm just the nurse, never mind what _I _think."

Rose looked at Scorpius, who rolled his eyes behind Madam Pomfrey's back. "So…I'm free to go now?" she asked.

"Oh, not quite yet," said Madam Pomfrey. "I'll let you go at dinnertime, I think. And make sure you get plenty to eat tonight, and a good night's sleep afterwards. Poor girl, all this stress….your mother was the same, working herself much too hard."

Now it was Rose's turn to want to roll her eyes. She suppressed the urge with difficulty.

There was a silence, in which time Madam Pomfrey cast a surprisingly disapproving glance at Scorpius. Then she leaned in a little closer to Rose and said in a low voice, "Malfoy tells me the two of you are required to have lessons each Monday. Is this correct?"

Rose nodded. "It's for Professor McGonagall," she explained. "Fostering Inter-House Harmony."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips. "Silly business, if you ask me," she said in a hard voice that Rose had never heard her use before. "Well dear, if he starts to bother you, don't hesitate to call me." Her voice was still very low, but Rose could tell, from the steely glint in Scorpius' eyes, that he knew exactly what the elderly Matron was saying.

"It's alright," said Rose in a firm voice. "We're fine, thanks."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey straightened and smoothed down the front of her robes in a matronly fashion. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

Scorpius waited until she was gone before leaning forward. He looked irritated. "She's been bugging me since I came," he said darkly. "Kept telling me I should go and leave you in peace."

Rose looked at the closed door of Madam Pomfrey's office with a small frown. "No, she wouldn't do that. She's always so nice."

"To you," said Scorpius.

Rose stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be thick," he said curtly. "You know who I am. You know who my parents are. And you can't figure out why she might not like me?"

"Madam Pomfrey wouldn't think like that," said Rose, shaking her head so vigorously it throbbed a little bit. "There's no way."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows sceptically. "Everybody thinks like that," he said simply. "Even you."

She blushed and lowered her eyes. She wasn't that bad, was she? Okay, maybe when she was younger. But it was only a silly House rivalry. Rose recalled Albus' words to her a year earlier: _It doesn't matter what he does, he won't ever be good enough in your eyes. _She thought about what Mrs Tonks had said, about a person's experiences being more important than their blood. She looked back up at Scorpius and lost her breath at the sight of his expression.

"I'm…sorry," she said at last.

"Don't be," said Scorpius harshly. "I don't need your pity."

"I wasn't, I…" she floundered for a way to express her thoughts, but nothing came to her. Instead she stared off to the side, wondering if the two of them would ever be able to have a civil conversation about anything.

"So did you enjoy yourself on Saturday?" he asked unexpectedly, and something in the tone of his voice made her look back towards him.

"What?"

"At the Quidditch," he said, and this time she definitely noted the suppressed annoyance in his voice. "Shame lover-boy didn't win, isn't it? Sorry about that."

"He isn't my lover-boy!" she snapped, her sympathy for him evaporating.

"You seem to like your Ravenclaws, though, don't you?" mused Scorpius, taking no notice of her. "First Scamander, now Corner. I'm seeing a pattern here."

"Shut up Malfoy."

"I mean, I can understand why you'd look outside your own House, given its obvious lack of talent and the fact that you all seem to be related, but – "

"Shut _up_!"

"…I don't really see the attraction to the sparrows? I mean - "

"The only boy I've ever kissed is from Slytherin!" she yelled at him without thinking, then blushed, realising what she had just said.

Scorpius broke off abruptly, and stared at her. The silence stretched uncomfortably. Rose blinked down at her hands, cursing herself for simultaneously rising to his bait and admitting that he had been her first kiss. Damn him for knowing how to push her buttons!

"You kissed Corner," said Scorpius quietly.

Her head snapped up, and suddenly she was furious with him. "Oh yeah, and that's what you told Albus, wasn't it? That I snogged Charlie Corner after the Quidditch. But I didn't!" she shook her head and blinked rapidly against the stinging in her eyes. "I didn't! It was barely even a peck on the cheek, I didn't even _feel _it."

Scorpius opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. The words seemed to flow out of her from nowhere, uncontrollably, as though emerging unbidden from her subconscious.

"And what's it to you anyway! Why are you making an issue out of this? What I do in my spare time with a boy who likes me and whom _I also like _is none of your business! It's not like you even care – you just want an excuse to torment me."

Scorpius raked a hand through his hair, uncharacteristically ruffling his neat appearance. "I care," he said.

"Well you shouldn't," she retorted harshly. "I'm not your girlfriend. There's _nothing _between us."

He recoiled as though she had slapped him. For a moment Rose had a clear glimpse at his expression, and what she saw there made her stomach tie itself in guilty knots. An instant later, though, and his face was blank and smooth again, wiped clear of emotion. Before she could say anything else, he stood up and turned towards the door.

"Yes, I see," he said in a very tight voice. "Well, I think that's probably enough for today, don't you?"

And he left.

Rose stared at the door as it swung shut behind Scorpius. Then, before any part of her brain could think of a reason not to, before she allowed any doubts to surface in her mind, she threw her covers off, leapt out of bed, and ran after him.

He hadn't even made it to the end of the corridor. She sprinted in his direction, hesitant to call his name because of all the people who might be around. When she reached him, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him sideways into an empty classroom, ignoring his sound of surprise and attempts to jerk out of her grasp. Only when she had shut the door behind them and ensured that they were alone, did she turn and look at him, huffing slightly from the speed with which she had raced down the corridor.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" he shook his arm free and glared at her.

"You are such an arrogant prat!" she screamed at him, and his eyes widened, surprise written all over his face. But she was too angry to care. She stepped toward him and grabbed a fistful of his robes, bringing them close together. "You kiss me like that and then you do _nothing, _absolutely _nothing, _about it!"

"Wha – "

"You snog my brains out, and then you ignore me, _ignore me!_" she tried to shake him but he was too solid, so instead she settled for stamping her foot. "Either kiss me, or leave me the heck alone! You can't do both!"

Scorpius, who had been looking utterly bewildered the whole time she had been yelling, his mouth hanging open, now snapped to attention at her last words.

"Do you mean that?"

"I – what?" she stopped short and looked up at him.

"Do you mean that?" he said again, his voice deep and full of purpose.

"I – yes of course I mean it!"

A smile spread itself across Scorpius' face. "Well good," he said, pulling her towards him. "I choose the first option."

Rose gasped when he put a hand on the back of her head, and closed her eyes, already anticipating his kiss. But before either of them could move, there was a sudden commotion in the corridor outside, and the sound of Madam Pomfrey's yells came floating towards them.

"Rose? Rose Weasley? Oh, where has that dratted girl got to?"

Rose clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. Scorpius looked half amused, half annoyed, his fingers already curled in her hair.

"Rose Weasley? Has anyone seen Rose Weasley?"

"I'd better go," whispered Rose, reaching up and removing Scorpius' hand from her head.

He bent towards her, and for a split second she thought he was going to kiss her anyway, but then his lips were at her ear, and he was whispering, "Meet me at the Astronomy Tower, 9 o'clock, Saturday night. Bring that cloak."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes wide with surprise, but he didn't say anything else, just stepped backwards and let himself out of the room.

Rose waited for a few moments until Madam Pomfrey's calls became unbearable, and then she stepped out too. She hurried over to the elderly Matron, who was facing the other direction, her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey," she said innocently, and the nurse jumped and span around. "I just realised Scorpius left his book behind. I'm sorry I left."

"Good heavens girl," huffed Madam Pomfrey, putting a hand to her breast and peering suspiciously up the corridor, which was now deserted. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. Very well, then, very well, back inside with you, come on now. That's enough silly business for one day, I should think."

Rose nodded, and followed Madam Pomfrey obediently back into the Hospital Wing. This time, though, she didn't need a Pepper-Up Potion to lift her spirits; they had risen all by themselves.

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><p><strong>AN: This chapter underwent some serious cosmetic surgery. Like, I'm talking hardcore botox to the face, haha. Hopefully for the better. **

**Story is coming along nicely, I would say more than halfway through now. Unfortunately this next week is full of essays, so don't know how much time I'll have to write = *sad face.* But I hate keeping you guys waiting, so I will try my hardest to get an update out next weekend. **

**Reviews are super super rainbow unicorns flying through my bedroom window at night with peppermint breath and inspiration cookies on their horns. :P**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I contemplated telling my law lecturer that the reason I couldn't hand up my essay on time was because I was too busy writing fanfiction...Somehow I don't think he would have accepted my excuse :P**

**I'm _sorry _this chapter is late - I blame RL. I'm also sorry it's shorter than normal. It just seemed fitting to end it where I did and I didn't want to conflate it unnaturally just for the sake of word count. O.o**

_Sixth Year, Part Ten_

* * *

><p>She had to be some kind of raving lunatic. That was the only logical explanation for what she was about to do.<p>

Rose was standing stock still halfway up the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower, shivering slightly in the cold night air. It was quarter past nine on Saturday night, and, for reasons that she couldn't quite explain, she was on the verge of being exactly where Scorpius had told her to be almost a week ago outside the Hospital Wing. That is to say, she had actually _gone _to where he had said he would be.

The irony of it all was that she had spent the majority of the week convincing herself that it was a bad idea. The thought of meeting Scorpius filled her with a strange combination of exhilaration and terror. After all, there was a substantial difference (at least in Rose's mind) between a sudden, unexpected kiss after crossing paths in the corridor, and a deliberate decision to meet, at night time, in the seclusion of a Tower that was a notorious hangout for couples. When she stopped and thought about what going would actually mean, and at the same time what Scorpius would imply from her absence, Rose felt half inclined to simply disappear from Hogwarts altogether.

And yet, despite the countless reasons she had considered for why not to go, and the myriad of excuses at her disposal, she found herself dithering in the common room late Saturday night, her eyes fixed on her older cousin James as he played a game of Exploding Snap with Fred. Her thoughts had been chasing themselves in circles the whole day; first she would relive all the times Scorpius had been rude to her, or made fun of her; then these unpleasant memories would be chased away by the recollection of the incredible lightness she had felt when he kissed her. For some reason that she wasn't quite sure of, Rose couldn't seem to maintain any sort of animosity towards Scorpius anymore. Sure, he could be an arrogant prat, and he thought far too much of himself, but on those rare occasions when the two of them had actually spent time together without arguing, it was amazing how much she actually enjoyed his company.

Somehow, it always came back to the same thing: she would regret it if she didn't go. And once Rose had arrived at this conclusion, nothing could change her mind. If anything, the more she tried to ignore it, the stronger it became.

Eventually, James had caught her staring and demanded to know what was wrong with her.

Rose wasn't sure where the words came from, but before she had even thought of a plausible excuse for her strange behaviour, she found herself asking him for his Invisibility Cloak. This request had caused both James and Fred to gape at her in open astonishment. She had never before asked to use her cousin's cloak. She blushed and looked down, mortified at the implication that she was about to break the rules and that her family would certainly know all about it.

James had given her his cloak very reluctantly. Rose could tell he was bursting to ask her why she needed it, but all she mumbled was 'library' before darting out of the Common Room and away from his inquisitive stare. She supposed her embarrassment as good as gave her away, and she would have to face his questions eventually, but for the time being she was glad just to be standing in the corridor by herself, vainly attempting to gather her thoughts.

There was a creak behind her, and Rose span around, her heart thumping wildly, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't be seen. Her eyes peered about in the gloom, but there was nothing there besides an old suit of armour – she was only jumping at shadows.

Shaking her head at her own silliness, she took another step up the stairwell, now only a few metres from the open landing of the Astronomy Tower. The air was much colder up here; she could see her breath puffing in misty clouds in front of her from the cloak covering her face. Her hands were trembling with nerves.

A few more steps. She didn't have to stay, Rose reasoned with herself. She could just have a look to see whether Scorpius was there or not (she hadn't discarded the possibility that he was setting her up or having a laugh) and then turn around and leave. She was perfectly hidden, which was about the only reason she had mustered up the courage to get this far. Now there were only three more steps onto the landing. Rose shut her eyes and cleared them before she could change her mind. Gryffindor indeed. She was practically shaking on the spot.

Her eyes picked out Scorpius immediately. He was sitting on the carved edge of the Tower, looking out over the grounds, his white-blonde hair shifting back and forth in the swirling wind. His legs dangled over the edge, and he was hitting one of them rhythmically against the stone wall. Seeing him there, something in Rose gave a lurch, and a pocket of warmth seemed to grow inside her. He had actually come.

She sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders, deciding on the spot that she couldn't just turn and walk away. Scorpius had his back to her, and she used the time to gather the courage to reveal herself. Just as she made to shed the Invisibility Cloak, however, Scorpius looked down at something in his hands, stiffened, and whirled around on the spot.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, staring straight at the place where she stood frozen, still covered by the cloak. She watched as he slid off the railing and back onto the ground. "I thought you'd never come off the stairs."

Utterly bewildered, Rose ripped the cloak off of herself, folded it up and scrunched it into the inside pocket of her jacket. Scorpius didn't seem the least bit surprised to see her appear out of thin air. She stared at him in shock, her brain slowly processing his unexpected reaction. "How did you…" she finally managed to ask.

Scorpius smirked and waved something in his right hand. It was a scrappy looking piece of parchment, covered in what looked like a very elaborate ink diagram full of moving dots. Rose recognised it instantly as the Marauder's Map, which belonged to Albus. Her eyes narrowed.

"You've been spying on me!" she hissed. Her cheeks reddened as she realised that Scorpius must have been watching her through the Map, hovering in the stairwell for over ten minutes as she hesitated over whether to go any further. He was probably laughing at her the entire time.

Scorpius looked a little bemused at her outrage. "I needed the Map to make sure I didn't run into Filch or Norleen," he said casually, taking a few steps towards her and then stopping. "Seeing you was just an added bonus."

"Why didn't you come and say anything?" she asked him angrily. "Rather than just sit and watch like some kind of – of – " she couldn't think of a superlative that quite fitted what she wanted to say, so huffed into silence instead.

His expression turned serious. "I wanted to see whether you would come on your own," he said. "I wanted to know what you'd choose."

"Well, I'm glad you've had your fun," she spat at him, her eyes smarting in humiliation. This whole thing had been a bad idea from the start. "Good night." She whirled on her heel and had made it almost back to the stairs before she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist.

He pulled hard enough to get her to stop and turn around. "Don't go," he said softly.

"Let go of me," she ordered him, her eyes flashing as she tried to tug her wrist from his grip.

"If I do will you leave?"

"Yes!"

"Well then I'm not letting go." There was an infuriating smirk on Scorpius' face, as though he was enjoying their exchange.

"If you don't let me go, I'll scream and tell them you dragged me up here," she threatened.

Scorpius laughed. "Was that before or after you borrowed your Invisibility Cloak off James Potter?"

She glared at him, and he laughed harder.

"You know what's really funny?" he said eventually. When she didn't answer he kept talking. "The fact that I _know _you don't actually want me to let go."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said coldly.

He tugged unexpectedly, and she stumbled forwards so that she was standing a mere inch from him, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. She looked up at him to see that his smirk was gone. "You didn't come all this way just to leave."

"I – " she forgot what she was going to say when he lifted his hand and ran a finger down her cheek. "Don't know what I'm doing here," she finished lamely.

"Sure you do," answered Scorpius, and he smiled again. "I'm just irresistible."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're so full of yourself."

Scorpius' hand fell back to his side, breaking the contact between them. He didn't look annoyed, merely thoughtful. "Go, then," he said quietly.

For a second she stared at him in confusion. Then she realised, rather belatedly, that both of her arms were now free. She was free to go, and judging from the look in his eyes, Scorpius wouldn't try to stop her. He was gazing at her intensely, as though trying to see right into her thoughts. She squirmed a little, and bit her lip. Common sense dictated that she should leave; but then, common sense would have advised her not to even come in the first place. And now that she was there, standing so close to him, she knew begrudgingly that he was right; she didn't want him to let her go. She remembered the feeling of his lips on hers when he had kissed her in the Trophy Room and blushed.

Scorpius turned abruptly and walked back over to the edge of the Tower, staring out over the dark grounds. After a moment of indecision, Rose followed, coming to stand next to him, close enough so their shoulders were almost touching. She focused on the glow coming from Hagrid's cabin, and the puff of chimney smoke rising into the air, and thought again of her visit to the gamekeeper earlier in the year.

"Did you know Hagrid's sick?" she said suddenly.

Scorpius turned to look at her, surprise etched on his features. "No," he said simply. "I didn't."

"Well, I think he is," said Rose. "I went to visit him and he had a really bad cough. I'm worried about him."

He was staring at her curiously, as though trying to figure something out. "He seems fine in class."

"I – what?"

"I said he seems fine in class."

Rose blinked in confusion. "You don't…do you still take Care of Magical Creatures?"

He nodded.

"You didn't drop it at the end of last year?"

"It's my favourite subject," he said, looking confused at her disbelief. "Why would I drop it?"

"I…" She was having trouble processing this information. Scorpius still took Care of Magical Creatures? How had she not noticed this? Slowly, her surprise began to give way to resentment – Scorpius had obviously been under no compulsion to drop Hagrid's subject for something more 'serious.' Then, she felt sheepish.

"Sorry," she said at last. "I don't know why I assumed you didn't take it anymore, like me. I guess I just…"

"Assumed?" provided Scorpius with a half-smile. "I like Hagrid. He's always been good to me."

"Yeah," said Rose, thinking about her conversation with Hagrid earlier in the year, when she had questioned his refusal to bad-mouth Draco Malfoy. She hadn't even considered that Scorpius and Hagrid would be friends…

"Rose?"

"Sorry," she said again, her cheeks heating.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Are you really so surprised that I'm on good terms with Hagrid?"

"No," she said defensively. "It's just – "

"Just because of my dad?" he cut in. There was a steely glint in his eyes now. "People change, you know. They grow up."

"Yes, I suppose they do," she said, feeling a little like she had been cornered into an argument that she hadn't wanted. A gust of cold wind blew past and she shivered – she hadn't realised how cold it was up at the top of the castle.

Scorpius shrugged off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders before she could object. Warmth enveloped her instantly. "Won't you be cold?" she asked feebly, but he shook his head.

"Nah. We Slytherins are made of tougher stuff than you weak kitty-cats," he pinched her cheek and she smiled. Just when did Scorpius Malfoy become such a charmer?

"Sorry for being so…snobbish," she said after a while.

He grinned. "Sorry for being so defensive. I guess it's just a habit after six years of having to defend myself and my family."

"I've never seen anyone bother you," she said earnestly. It was true; whenever she had seen Scorpius, he was surrounded by Slytherin buddies and cutting a very intimidating figure – she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to pick a fight with him.

To her surprise Scorpius laughed out loud, resting his elbows on the barricade. "You've never bothered to notice," he said.

She glared at him, then relented. He was probably right, after all. She burrowed deeper into his cloak, biting her lip.

"Why are you here?" she asked before she could stop herself. This question had been bothering her for some time. She watched his expression closely.

He turned to look at her. "You mean, right now?"

"I mean why do you…like me?" she could feel the heat radiating from her face, but she wanted a straight answer from him and the only way to get one seemed to be by asking bluntly.

"I'm a masochist."

She scowled at him. "I'm serious!"

"So am I," he replied, and all of a sudden he felt much closer to her. He shook his head. "Maybe I like the challenge. Maybe it's because you're so far out of my league…a forbidden rose," he reached out to touch a lock of her auburn hair.

His answer didn't seem to make any sense, but he was so close to her now that she couldn't think of a proper response. Instead she titled her head up and breathed in deeply as he came closer.

"I didn't really want to go," she found herself saying.

Scorpius nodded. "I know."

"And I don't want to go now."

His face was very close to her own; Scorpius lifted one hand and rested it on the side of her neck. "I know."

"And I – " her voice choked, and she broke off. He was going to kiss her now, she knew. She also knew that she didn't want to stop him.

"I know," said Scorpius, and with the ghost of a grin, he pressed his lips to hers.

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><p><strong>All I can say is I hope you like it. And to let me know, either way :P<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

_Sixth Year, Part Eleven_

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><p>"Why are <em>you<em> so happy?"

Rose was sitting in the Great Hall, eating lunch, on Monday afternoon. Now she froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, and stared at her cousin and best friend Dominique Weasley.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Dom gave her a penetrating look. "You've been grinning ever since you woke up."

"No I haven't," said Rose, rearranging her features into a sombre expression.

Dom raised her eyebrows. "We just spent a whole lesson pruning Venomous Tentaculas and you were _smiling _the whole way through. That's not normal."

Rose blushed. She really didn't think she had been that obvious. "I'm just in a good mood," she said lightly. "Is that a crime?"

"Don't be stupid," snapped Dom, who in contrast was looking positively glum. Rose supposed she should ask what was wrong, but she had a feeling it was probably to do with Calvin Davies, and she wasn't sure she could stand any negative relationship news right now. "You were in an absolutely foul mood last week, and now all of a sudden you're chirpy as pixies. What happened?"

"Nothing," she said hurriedly, taking a bite of her pudding to avoid having to elaborate. When she was sure Dom wasn't looking, she chanced a glance over to the Slytherin table, her eyes quickly picking out Scorpius' shock of blonde hair. He was leaning with his elbows on the table, listening as Albus spoke animatedly about something. As though sensing her gaze, he turned his head infinitesimally so that their eyes met. Rose felt her cheeks heat and her heartbeat quicken in a now familiar response to his expression, and grinned down at her plate again.

She hadn't returned to the Gryffindor Common Room until well past midnight on Saturday night, by which time everybody had gone to bed and she was spared the task of having to explain what she had been doing for over four hours. James had thrown the predictable questions at her when she gave him back his cloak on Sunday, but she persisted with the tale that she had been using it to study in the library and after a while he had simply shrugged and let it drop. Now all she had to endure was Dom's suspicion over her happiness.

She had to admit, she _had _been acting quite a lot more cheerful than normal all day. As much as she tried to repress her emotions, she couldn't seem to help the smile spreading across her face whenever she thought of Scorpius and the time they had spent together on Saturday night. She had had to stop and pinch herself several times since waking up simply to reassure herself that she wasn't dreaming.

Rose chewed thoughtfully for a few moments, distracted only by the noisy arrival of Lily and Hugo, who were late for lunch and seemed to be in the middle of yelling at each other. She was a little surprised to see them arguing again – they rarely got into fights when they were growing up, in fact she couldn't remember ever seeing them annoyed with each other before this year. Then again, it wasn't unheard of for friends to change and grow apart. She certainly had some experience in that regard, Rose thought sadly, her eyes travelling to the Ravenclaw table and picking out Lorcan, where he sat slightly apart from the other sixth-years, reading _The Quibbler._ They were very much proof of how friends could drift apart as they got older.

And then, thought Rose, her eyes flicking involuntarily back to the Slytherin table, sometimes the opposite could happen, and someone you thought you hated could turn out to be…well, someone you _didn't _hate, at any rate. She couldn't really understand just when and how her opinion of Scorpius had changed, but somewhere along the road, it had. And to think that, a few weeks ago, they had been avoiding each other at all costs. Rose's blush increased; she really had been quite stupid about it all.

Next to her, Dom gave a dramatic groan. "You know, Rose, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Hmm?" said Rose distractedly, now observing surreptitiously as Scorpius got up and made his way out of the Great Hall with Albus at his side. They were no doubt making their way to the dungeons, for double Potions. And after that, they had their 'harmony' lesson. Rose's heart skipped a beat in nervous anticipation.

"Yes," said Dom, a note of irritation obvious in her voice. Rose forced herself to turn back to her cousin and pay attention.

"About what?"

"It's…James told me you borrowed his cloak Saturday night?"

Now she was paying attention. Rose gave Dom a half-smile, which Dom didn't return.

"Yeah," said Rose, her brain working quickly. There was no way she could tell Dom about Scorpius; for starters, her cousin wouldn't be able to keep the secret to herself. She was a notorious blabbermouth and had been since they were small children. Telling Dom was as good as telling the rest of her family, and the thought of that was enough to make the bottom drop out of Rose's stomach. She couldn't begin to imagine what her parents would say if they knew their daughter had snogged the son of their arch nemesis. Her father hadn't even been able to stomach the prospect of them being friends…

"Rose?" Dom was tapping her fork against her plate, looking very annoyed. Bright pink spots had appeared on each of her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Rose said hurriedly. "I was just – "

"I don't believe for a second that you went to the library on Saturday night," snapped Dom. "There wasn't anything that important that it couldn't wait until Sunday morning. And I know you, Rose, you wouldn't break the rules unless it was important."

"I…" she should have known Dom would never accept the pitiful excuse she had given James; they knew each other too well. But she couldn't tell her the truth either. Dom wouldn't understand. To her Scorpius was another no-good Slytherin, the son of Death Eaters, a Malfoy. Rose could see her own attitudes reflected in her, and therefore she knew what Dom's reaction would be: shock, outrage, and then a determined campaign to end it.

And there was another reason she couldn't tell anyone, thought Rose hollowly, as she stared down at her plate to avoid Dom's furious glare. She couldn't risk people knowing the truth because…what if nothing else happened? It was only one night, and she had no idea what any of it really meant. She didn't want to reveal their relationship, and go through all of the drama that would create, only for it to end in nothing. No, much better to keep it secret. That way, if it all did fizzle out, nobody had to know…

The bell rang, loudly, shattering Rose's thoughts. She jerked her head up to see most of her fellow students getting up and making their way leisurely out of the Great Hall. The leftover food on her plate had vanished, leaving it sparkling clean again.

"Rose?" Dom stood and flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder in the way she always did when she was cross. "I don't know why you won't just tell me. Were you out with Charlie?"

She had forgotten about Charlie – she hadn't spoken more than a hurried greeting to him since after the Quidditch match. "No," she shook her head quickly, blushing. "No, I wasn't."

"Then what were you doing?"

"Nothing," said Rose. "Just walking around. Anyway, can we talk about this later? I'm going to be late for class, and you know what Cauldrish is like. "

Dom looked as though she wanted to keep arguing, but Rose turned away before she could say anything else, doing up her bag and slinging it on to her shoulder in one swift motion. She and Dom walked to the Entrance Hall together, but her cousin's expression was frosty and stiff, and she stalked off up the marble stairs to Muggle Studies without bidding Rose goodbye.

* * *

><p>"You're late."<p>

Scorpius, who had chosen that moment to appear from behind a bookshelf, shot her a crooked grin.

"Sincerest apologies," he drawled, indulging in a mock bow before sitting down across the table, dropping his schoolbag on the ground beside him.

Her lips twitched. "I should think so. You wouldn't want me to wrongly presume all Slytherins to be incapable of punctuality, would you?"

"Absolutely not."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Rose, and folded her arms. She surveyed him closely, fixing a look of amusement on her face to hide the fluttering in her stomach. "Commiserations on your Sticking Solution, by the way."

Scorpius scowled at her. "That was your fault."

She smirked, feeling pleased with herself. It was true, she had successfully managed to distract Scorpius for long enough during Potions that he had added nearly twice as much Dragon liver as was required. As a result, his Sticking Solution ended up more closely resembling a cauldron full of rubber jelly. The expression on Professor Cauldrish's face as he surveyed their products at the end of the lesson had been utterly priceless, and well worth the effort of sneaking around Albus.

Scorpius leant back in his chair, still glaring at her. "At least _my _potion didn't need to be vanished before the entire class died of asphyxiation."

"That was different," she snapped, feeling her cheeks heat. "I was sick!"

He didn't say anything, but simply raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever," she said hurriedly, fishing for a different topic. "Shall we start?"

"Start what?" he asked, smirking suggestively. His foot bumped hers underneath the table.

She blushed, understanding his implication. "Our lesson," she said pointedly, folding her hands in her lap and taking a purposeful breath to try and stop her thoughts from wandering. "Tell me about Slytherin."

"What do you want to know?" asked Scorpius lazily. "That we're all blood-sucking Vampires who plot to take over the wizarding world in our spare time? That we torture Muggleborns and House-Elves for fun?"

She glared at him. "Don't be a jerk. I only meant what's it – what's it like down there? What sort of things do you do?"

"Probably exactly the same things as you and your other precious holier-than-thou Gryffindors," he said. "Complain about homework. Play games. Lounge about. We're not Goblins, you know."

"Do you ever think about being in another House?" she asked curiously, ignoring his jibe about Goblins.

He shook his head emphatically. "Not at all. I'm a Malfoy. We belong in Slytherin."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh I see." She thought back to their Sorting, six years ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "The Sorting Hat certainly took long enough to put you there, for someone so _certain _that's where they were supposed to end up."

Scorpius' face darkened.

"What?" she asked, catching his reaction.

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

He glared at her, then sighed. "It wanted to put me in Gryffindor," he said, his upper lip curling as though such a suggestion was abhorrent to him. "Or Ravenclaw. Said I didn't belong in Slytherin."

Her eyebrows arched in surprise at this revelation. She had always thought of Scorpius as the quintessential Slytherin – handsome, arrogant, cold, and pureblood. "It didn't want to put you in Slytherin?"

"No."

"But…it put you there anyway?"

He stared at her in silence for a moment as though considering. "I asked it to," he replied at last. "Actually, I ordered it to. I _had _to be in Slytherin."

It took Rose a while to understand what Scorpius had just admitted. When she did, she gaped at him in astonishment "I…" she wasn't sure what to say. For a moment she tried to imagine how different life would have been had he been put into another House. Perhaps Gryffindor? Perhaps they would have grown up together, been…friends? Rose blinked rapidly. "Why was it so important?"

Scorpius looked at her, his expression grave. "I already told you. It's tradition."

"Well, yeah," said Rose patiently, "but I'm sure your parents would have accepted it if you belonged in another House. I mean, my family's totally okay with Al being in Slytherin."

He gave her a sceptical look.

"Alright, maybe not _totally _okay," she amended. "But they've embraced it, and that's all that matters."

"That's because they've got dozens of other children to carry on their Gryffindor heritage," answered Scorpius. "Weasleys breed like rabbits, and they're almost all in Gryffindor. I'm the _only _Malfoy. You think Al's parents would have been so _accepting _if he was their only son?"

"Al's a Potter, not a Weasley," she pointed out.

Scorpius smirked. "The Potters are honorary Weasleys."

She rolled her eyes.

"Besides, I like being in Slytherin."

"Oh yeah?" said Rose, irritated by his typical arrogance. "And why is that?"

"Because Slytherin's don't mess around." He leaned towards her, resting his elbows on the table. A lock of blonde hair fell across his eyes. "They know what they want, and they don't mind admitting it. Unlike Gryffindors, who want something but are too afraid to do anything about it, because of some misguided sense of _honour._"

She blushed, but didn't break eye contact with him. "And what is it that you want?"

He smirked again as his foot began to travel up her leg, underneath her robe.

"Stop it!" she hissed, yanking her leg away and diving for her bag so that he wouldn't see how beet red she had become. Her fingers wrapped around a heavy Arithmancy book, and she seized on it, hauling it out and slamming it on the table with purpose.

He took one look at the large tomb between them and clicked his tongue. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she said, opening it at random and running her finger down the page.

"It _looks _like you're engaging in self-torture rather than enjoying my company."

"Prat," she scoffed, pointing her wand at her bag and summoning her water bottle without speaking the charm.

Scorpius gave a chuckle. "Show-off," he retaliated. "But it's alright, I'm impressed. To think of a Weasley mastering nonverbal spells at all is really quite incredible."

Rose glared at him. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Take ridiculous digs at my family like that," she said, blotting her quill with too much force and nearly puncturing the scroll of parchment.

"It's my responsibility to act in a way befitting of a Malfoy, and a Slytherin," said Scorpius coolly.

"Oh, and it's _befitting _to act like you're better than everybody else is it?" She lowered her voice as Madam Beauvoir floated past and shot them a disapproving glare.

Scorpius waited until the librarian was gone before nodding. "Yes."

She wasn't sure whether she wanted to hit him or kiss him. She settled for rolling her eyes again. "You sound like your father."

Now it was his turn to scowl. "How do you know what my father sounds like?"

"I've heard enough from my parents," she said snidely, then regretted it, because his expression had clouded and he was looking less than pleased with her. She didn't know why she always said such harsh things to him – except that he seemed to have a knack for pushing her buttons. She had clearly inherited her father's lack of tact.

There was a long, awkward silence before she decided to make peace. "Anyway…how about we, um, get started on Arithmancy."

He ignored her for a while until it seemed he couldn't help himself. "We?"

"I believe you take Arithmancy as well," she said sarcastically. "Or have you decided to drop it? I know how difficult it must be for you, trying to – "

"How do you know I haven't already done it?"

She glared at him. "We only got it on Friday."

"And I believe today is Monday."

"So you've already done it?" she asked incredulously. They had been given three feet of complicated equations to work through, _without _the aid of magical calculators. To think that Scorpius had already completed it only made her feel worse. She had spent _her _Sunday reminiscing about Saturday night.

It looked as though he was trying not to laugh at her.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

He shook his head. "No."

"No what?"

"No, I haven't done it." He shot her a broad grin.

Rose blushed. "Oh." She fiddled with her quill for a moment. "Very funny."

"Why thank you."

"Let's get started then," she said briskly. "Since Malfoys are so superior, you shouldn't need my help at all." She ignored the fact that he had never asked for her assistance in their entire time at school. Prat.

"But you can't do it now."

"Why not?" she asked, not liking the gleam in his eyes.

"We're supposed to be talking about House rivalries and harmony, aren't we?" Scorpius said. "Isn't that the whole idea?"

"Yes, but…"

"But what?"

"I just thought," she chewed her lip, "that perhaps…we shouldn't."

"Shouldn't what?"

"Shouldn't talk about our Houses."

He blinked at her for a moment. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Well, by talking about our Houses aren't we merely emphasising the differences between us," she explained, looking at the page in front of her to avoid eye contact. "Seeing as every time I bring up Slytherin you seem keen to remind me that you're not all that different, which is what McGonagall wants us to believe anyway, wouldn't it be better to get to know ourselves without bringing Houses into it?"

There was a pause, while she thumbed idly through the book, aware of Scorpius' eyes on her. "I guess…that makes sense," he said at last. "So you want to do homework instead?"

She nodded again. "Arithmancy, to be precise. I thought that was something we both have in common. It'll be like we were…study buddies, or something."

"Study buddies…" Scorpius made a face. "Sounds like something a Weasley would suggest."

She kicked him under the table, drawing satisfaction when she heard him hiss. "Now I am going to study," she said haughtily, lowering her eyes to distract herself from thinking of other things they could be doing together. "I suggest you do the same."

Scorpius sighed, but rummaged through his bag nevertheless, eventually extracting a quill and parchment. Rose focused on the book in front of her, even though nothing of what she was reading was actually registering at all. In truth she'd never felt less like studying, but it seemed better than the alternative, which was arguing and a whole lot of sexual tension. It was a pity, she thought idly, that they couldn't arrange to have these lessons in private. But there wasn't anywhere they could go that wouldn't look suspicious, and she didn't think the Headmistress would appreciate the sentiment.

So involved was she in her daydreams of hidden classrooms and activities that didn't involve talking or studying that it took her several seconds for her to realise Scorpius' foot was sliding slowly up her leg.

"Stop it," she hissed again, giving him a glare but unable to prevent the small grin which belied her anger. "We're _supposed _to be studying." Never mind the fact that she hadn't turned a page or made a note at all since they began.

"My mistake," drawled Scorpius, leaning back in his chair and stretching luxuriously. Rose forced her rather unruly thoughts away from how gorgeous he looked; instead, she reached out and kicked him once more underneath the table.

"Ow," he said lazily. "I thought you said to stop?"

"That one was retribution."

He grinned at her, before ducking his head and scratching something on his piece of parchment. She craned her neck rather unsubtly to see what it was, but he shifted the position of his arm so that it was blocking her view.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing much."

"Let me see."

"No."

She frowned at him, annoyed at his secretive behaviour. "Be like that then," she huffed, folding her arms and staring resentfully off to the side, where a young Hufflepuff student happened to be walking past with an armful of books. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she bit her lip.

"You remember that animation?"

Scorpius stopped writing and looked up at her.

"The one you made…of me," she continued, when he said nothing. "With the books."

"Yes."

"Why did you do it?"

He shrugged. "You were bugging me."

"It wasn't very nice," she persisted stubbornly.

"Do you want me to apologise?"

Something about this question irritated her. "Not if you don't mean it."

He shot her a crooked smile and bent his head again, returning his attention back to the parchment. Rose stared at the top of his blonde head for a moment, her eyes narrowed.

"So you're not going to apologise then?"

He ignored her.

"You know even if someone annoys you, you shouldn't make fun of them like that."

"I wasn't making fun of you."

"Yes, you were." She wasn't sure why she couldn't let the subject drop, except that his responses were not satisfying her. The corners of Scorpius' mouth were pulled down in a frown now. Good.

He sighed and put his quill back in its inkwell. "Is this about Saturday night?" he asked.

Grand, now he just had to go and bring that up. He certainly knew how to make her blush, thought Rose bitterly.

"No."

"Really?" he lifted one eyebrow sceptically. "Because I think it is. I think you're regretting yourself."

She stared at him. "What makes you think that?"

"You tell me?" he said, returning once more to his parchment, adding a few more strokes with his quill, and then leaning back with a satisfied expression. "You want to know why I drew it?"

"Yes."

"Because you wouldn't let me draw you how I really want to."

She could feel her heart rate quicken in response to his loaded words. "I don't…what do you mean?"

Scorpius opened his mouth, but then looked sideways at the large clock adorning the library wall and closed it again. He rolled up the scroll of parchment tightly and tucked it into his bag, before standing up.

She followed his gaze and saw to her surprise that nearly three quarters of an hour had passed since they had been sitting there. "Are you leaving?" she asked, trying to ignore the surge of disappointment she felt. "We've still got fifteen minutes to go."

He smiled at her with genuine warmth, and she felt her heart flutter. "Warrington wants a team debriefing before practise starts. Can't argue with the Captain."

"Okay, well…see you next Monday then."

He leant towards her under the pretext of doing up his bag. "Saturday night?"

She blushed, and gave him a tremulous smile. A sudden lightness swept through her, and she felt as though she might simply float away. "Okay," she said, in a voice so soft she barely heard it.

Scorpius nodded once, and straightened. "See you then, Rose," he said, before turning and walking away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: 20mins until the end of the weekend where I'm from, so this still counts as an on-time update :P**

**Enjoy, Peruse, Leave-a-comment...**

**...**

**...see what I did there? :P**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Ich! This chapter is so late, I'm sorry...I suck big time, but more about that at the end.**

**You might want to skim read the last couple of chapters, because this technically takes place only a day after the last one :P **

_Sixth Year, Part Twelve_

* * *

><p>Rose had long ago mastered casting the <em>Aguamenti <em>charm nonverbally, as had most of the Charms class. They had now moved on to learning how to conjure small clusters of birds using _Avis_. She recognised this the moment Professor Spitflick demonstrated – it was an old favourite of her mother's whenever she was feeling cross, and she had always wanted to know how to do it.

Dom was ignoring her, still cross about their conversation the day before. Usually, this did not particularly bother Rose, and she would simply wait for the bad mood to pass (which it would, eventually) before acting as though nothing had happened. Today, however, she was keen to get back on Dom's good side, so that when the inevitable 'pairing practice' occurred, she wasn't left without a partner.

Charlie had caught her eye before class, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he confronted her. She should never have kissed him after the Quidditch match. Even if it was just a peck, it had given him the wrong message and she had been regretting it ever since. Though she knew that delaying the inevitable would achieve nothing, the selfish part of her still wanted to avoid that conversation for as long as possible – it surely wasn't going to be pleasant.

This was why she needed Dom.

"Partners, please!" squeaked Professor Spitflick, exactly as she had anticipated. There was a general groaning and shuffling as the class organised themselves into pairs.

Rose turned to Dom. "Partner?" she asked tentatively. Her cousin gave her a hard look.

"You can't avoid him forever, you know?"

She blushed. "Yeah, I know…"

As though on cue, she saw Charlie rise from his seat out of the corner of her eye. He made his way over to her, bumping clumsily into his desk and stumbling a little as he did so.

"Be my partner," she whispered frantically, but Dom simply gave her a disparaging look and turned her back. Rose took a deep breath. Obviously she was just going to have to get it over with.

"Partner, Rose?"

She jumped in surprise at the familiar-yet-unexpected voice, and twisted in the other direction to see her old friend Lorcan Scamander standing next to her. He sat down without waiting for an answer.

"Lorcan, hi!" she said somewhat breathlessly, turning her head just enough to see Charlie sit back down, looking annoyed. "Uh, thanks for that."

"S'okay," he replied. "It looked like you were in need."

Was she really that transparent? "How did you know?"

He smiled rather sadly. "I have been your friend for six years, you know. You've forgotten, but I used to know you pretty well."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Well it wouldn't surprise me," he said mildly. "You're busy these days. I barely see you anymore.

Rose felt a ball of guilt swell inside her. "I'm…sorry about that," she said genuinely. "I just – "

"Don't have time for the unimportant things," he told her bluntly. "It's okay."

"What? No!" she shook her head vigorously. "Lorcan, you're not unimportant, you're – "

"Now now, less chatter, more wand-work," interrupted Spitflick, bouncing past and wagging a finger at them. "I want to see birds by the end of this lesson Miss Weasley. Chop chop!"

"Yes sir," mumbled Rose, giving her wand an unenthusiastic flick and producing a solitary feather. "So how have you been?" she asked Lorcan once the Professor was out of earshot.

"Oh, you know," Lorcan shrugged dispassionately. "Alright."

"Alright?"

"Well," Lorcan scratched his chin with the end of his wand. "Alone, mostly."

Rose bit her lip, feeling even worse. She had almost forgotten, in the turmoil of the past six months, that she had been one of Lorcan's only friends. And she had essentially abandoned him. No wonder he had been less than pleased to see her strike up a friendship with Charlie.

"I'm sorry," she said again, though he did not look particularly upset. Rather he was staring avidly out of the window, watching as flakes of snow drifted past. It had been snowing since the previous evening, covering Hogwarts in a blanket of white and reminding everyone that winter was not quite finished with yet.

"My mother says Wrackspurts thrive in the snow," he commented, still staring idly out the window. "They can sense humans more easily, from their body heat."

Rose grinned. It had been a while since she heard one of Lorcan's strange anecdotes about his mother.

"Guess we'll have to be careful, then, when we go – hey!" she exclaimed suddenly, as an idea flashed through her head.

"Miss _Weasley!_"

"Sorry Professor!" Rose ducked her head and made a face at Lorcan, who was looking at her with a bemused expression.

"What?" he asked, as soon as there was sufficient background noise to hide their conversation once more.

"How about we go to Hogsmeade together?" she whispered eagerly. Since she couldn't go with Scorpius, this would be the next best thing. "I'm sure there's a weekend coming up."

"This weekend, in fact," said Lorcan idly.

"Really?" She frowned, surprised that she had missed the notice. "Well, great. We can meet up with Dom and her family at some stage, since they're coming to visit and – "

"I think you're forgetting something," he interrupted, and his smile was a little forced this time. "Haven't you already promised this Hogsmeade weekend to someone else?"

For a minute she blinked at him in confusion. Then the memory hit her with the force of a Bludger, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. The date with Charlie! It had been so long since she made the agreement that she had completely forgotten about it. She shot a glance over to the other side of the room, where Charlie was sitting with another Ravenclaw and practicing wand movements with a glum expression. He would surely think they were still going; after all, there was no reason for him to believe that anything had changed since she promised him.

She groaned aloud, forgetting for a moment who she was talking to. "Damn."

"I shouldn't think it's that big of a deal," observed Lorcan calmly. "I was under the impression that you and Charlie were…well acquainted."

"I – we – well, I – "

"And there's no one else you'd rather be going to Hogsmeade with besides him, is there?"

There was something loaded about Lorcan's question that made her uneasy. For some reason she couldn't help but think he was referring to Scorpius. But there was no way Lorcan could know about him, was there? She was just being paranoid.

"Well…there's you," she supplied lamely.

Lorcan gave her a lopsided smile. "I think you'll have a much better time with Charlie."

"Yeah," she suppressed the urge to beg Lorcan to come with her. "I suppose." She flicked her wand again, and was this time successful in conjuring a very small yellow bird. It twittered happily and zoomed towards the ceiling.

"Oh bravo, Miss Weasley!" called Professor Spitflick from the back of the classroom, where he was helping a glowering Peoria Rallitt, whose wand was smoking copiously. "Ten points to Gryffindor! Bravo, bravo!"

Rose smiled, her mood instantly improved by a sense of achievement. She turned back to Lorcan, who was tapping his wand against his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Do you think Professor Spitflick would be interested in a pair of Spectrespecs?" he asked her, when she raised her eyebrows at him.

She laughed lightly. "Maybe," she said, as her small yellow bird began flying in circles above their heads. "You should ask him."

They grinned at each other, and suddenly Rose remembered why Lorcan had always been one of her best friends.

* * *

><p>Charlie cornered her as soon as the bell rang. She had been expecting it, and had tried to hurry out of the room before the rest of the class, but Professor Spitflick called her back at the last second to congratulate her on her exemplary skill in managing to conjure a whole flock of her own canaries 'once she had stopped chattering,' and she had found herself trapped in a detailed discussion about the merits of conjuring in the modern world and what a wonderful student her mother had apparently been. Although Rose tried her best to hurry him along, by the time he had finished, the opposite of what she had been hoping for had occurred – most of the class had left, including Dom and Lorcan, and Charlie was hovering at the doorway waiting for her.<p>

She gave him a small smile as she passed him, hoping against hope that perhaps he would simply let her walk by. When she felt his hand close around her wrist and a gentle tug, she knew there was no such luck. Turning, she raised her eyebrows in what she hoped was polite, neutral enquiry.

"Hi," Charlie returned her smile with what looked like a painful grimace. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Umm…sure," she followed him a few metres off up the corridor and into an alcove that only partially sheltered them from the eyes of passing students. Rose cast a quick glance up and down the corridor, letting out a sigh of relief when she couldn't see any Slytherins, and one blonde Slytherin in particular. Not that she was doing anything wrong, she thought defensively; she just didn't see the point in antagonising Scorpius any more than she had to, since he seemed to disapprove so strongly of Ravenclaws.

She turned back to Charlie and waited for him to speak, but he just looked at her expectantly. Eventually she said, "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"What were you doing with Scamander?" he asked her accusingly, and Rose felt her hackles rise.

"He's my friend," she said coldly.

"Since when?"

She glared at him. "Since a long time ago. Is that a problem?"

He looked like he wanted to say yes, but instead shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry," he said half-heartedly. "I was just wondering."

"Well don't," she folded her arms. "It's none of your business."

Charlie scrunched up his nose at her hostile tone. "Have I done something wrong?"

She hesitated for a moment before giving a small shake of her head. "No, of course not."

"I feel like you've been avoiding me," he said, running a hand through his scruffy brown hair. "And I don't know why."

"I've just been really busy," she said awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

"Seems like even Malfoy gets to spend more time with you than I do," he commented spitefully.

She stared at him in shock, her heart hammering in her chest. "Huh?" How could he know? How could he –

"Your lessons," said Charlie, his expression sour. "I wish Millew had paired you with me, instead of him. It's cruel of them to force you to interact with that git."

Rose forced herself to take a deep breath, her heart rate slowing back to normal. "Oh." She _had_ to stop jumping to conclusions every time anyone said Scorpius' name. "Yeah…"

"Anyway…..you're sure it isn't something that I've done?" he asked, staring at her intently. "I haven't done anything to offend you, or – or upset you?"

She shook her head again. It wasn't a lie; Charlie hadn't done anything to her. He was actually, when she thought rationally about it, a very nice guy, and would probably make a wonderful boyfriend. Her parents would certainly approve, that was for sure. On paper he was a perfect match. She just didn't really feel….well, _anything _for him.

"And you're sure…" he swallowed, and seemed to force the next words out, "there's no one else?"

Her heart rate quickened, and she dropped her gaze. Now he was forcing her to lie, and she didn't like it. But what other choice did she have? If she said there was another guy, he would demand to know who it was. She would have to refuse to tell him, and then drag his curiosity and suspicion around with her. It wasn't worth the risk of being found out; far better, in the long run, to tell just this one small white lie.

"Rose?" Charlie looked stricken at her hesitation.

"No," she said hastily. "No, there's no one else, but – "

He let out a long, shuddering breath and passed a hand across his eyes. "Wow," he said drily. "You sure know how to string a bloke along."

That statement was a little too close for comfort. She bit her lip and stared off to the side, wondering when her life had become so complicated.

"I really like you Rose," said Charlie, reaching out and touching her arm. "I want to spend more time with you."

"You're – you're a really nice guy," she said, unable to meet his eyes. "But I – "

"Do you still want to come to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked earnestly. Rose decided it was time to put her foot down. "This weekend?"

"I don't know. I know I promised, but listen, Charlie – " his face fell at her tone, but she forced herself to continue. "I want you to know that I don't have time right now for a relationship. You're a good friend, but only a friend, okay?" She swallowed her own embarrassment and made herself stare at him firmly.

There was a flash of annoyance on Charlie's face, and his jaw tightened sharply, but after a moment it was gone and he was left looking nothing but disappointed. "I understand," he said heavily, dropping his hand. "But we can still go to Hogsmeade right? As friends?"

She was very tempted to say no. Rose paused for a moment, contemplating her answer. There wasn't really any reason to refuse, though. She had already promised, and it was only a silly Hogsmeade visit. Most likely she would spend the majority of it with Dominique anyway.

"Sure," she said, watching as Charlie cracked a broad grin at her words. "But just as friends."

"Just as friends," he nodded, still grinning hugely. "See you on Saturday then." He waved, then stepped backwards and vanished into the crowd.

* * *

><p>Rose was making her way back to the Gryffindor common room after lessons on Tuesday when a hand reached out of seemingly nowhere, grabbed her wrist and yanked her sideways into an empty classroom.<p>

"What the – ?" she protested, finding herself pinned to the wall faster than she could blink. She struggled fiercely until she saw who it was, at which point she simply went limp and gave Scorpius her best death glare, hoping to convey with her eyes her fury at being manhandled so abruptly.

"Way to break my arm off," she snapped, massaging her wrist and continuing to scowl at him. "Couldn't you just call my name or something?"

"No, I couldn't," he said sharply, and she paused, giving him a curious look. Something in his tone was off, and it wasn't an amused glare he was sending her way. He looked angry.

"What's wrong?" she asked warily.

"Let's drop the innocent act, shall we Weasley?" he bit out in a tone of suppressed fury.

Rose quirked her eyebrows at him in surprise, but managed to conceal the pang of offense that coursed through her at his tone. "Back to last names are we now, _Malfoy_?"

"Yes."

Her shoulder was beginning to hurt from the force of Scorpius' grip. She wriggled pointedly and he loosened it a little, but continued to pin her with a furious expression. She couldn't remember the last time he had looked at her with greater anger, if ever.

"What in Merlin's name is this about, Scorpius?" she said at last, deciding to drop the pretence of understanding.

"I could ask you the same question," he growled at her.

"And why is that?" she couldn't help from asking. She wasn't sure what had brought on this sudden hostility from him, considering they had parted amicably the day before, and she didn't want to ask him, either. But she wasn't going to just stand here and passively accept his temper tantrum without retort.

"You know," he said, lowering his voice menacingly. "Or you should know, anyway."

She sniffed her disdain at his response. "Well you're going to have to enlighten me," she said, "or else let me go. I can't stand here all day absorbing your attitude." Not to mention having him in such close proximity was making her skin tingle.

His expression hardened, which surprised her a little. She had expected to see his lips twitch like they normally did when she used overly expansive mannerisms, but they remained tightly drawn into a frown. Obviously Scorpius was not in the mood for humour.

"What are you doing this weekend, _Rose?_" he asked, putting so much venomous emphasis on her name that she would almost have preferred he stuck to surnames.

She continued to employ an expression of blank ignorance, despite the fact that her heart rate had suddenly picked up in recognition. He knew _already_? She had only spoken to Charlie earlier that day. She would kill him if he had been spreading rumours. "Nothing particularly interesting. How about you?"

It was obvious he wasn't fooled. "That's not what I've heard," he said, bringing his face closer to hers so that she was forcibly reminded of the feeling of his lips on hers. She wondered vaguely how he would react if she simply leant forwards and kissed him. Probably now wasn't the best time.

"Really?" she swallowed guiltily. "And – and what have you heard?"

"I heard you're going on a date to Hogsmeade," he said, his eyes boring into hers. "With Charlie Corner."

Rose blinked and looked away. Scorpius gave a low growl of displeasure at this, and clasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing her eyes back to his.

"What are you playing at?" he asked softly, and for the first time Rose noticed something other than anger in his eyes. She had hurt him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I promised him ages ago that I would go with him, and I didn't know how to tell him no when he came up to me after Charms." Scorpius didn't say anything, but continued to glare at her, so she stumbled on. "I – I didn't think one date would be a big deal. And I mean, it's not even a date. More like going to town at the same time," she smiled a little, but he didn't return the sentiment. "And, well, it's not like I can go with you, is it? And…and I did promise."

The expression on Scorpius' face as he stared at her was more than unnerving. Rose squirmed, but he still had hold of her chin and somehow she knew it was important she didn't look away. It felt almost as though he was testing her. Whether she was passing, she didn't know.

Eventually, he dropped his hand, so that they weren't touching. There was a moment's charged silence, then,

"Un-promise him," he said, and his voice brooked no room for discussion or argument. "Tell him you can't go with him. Tell him you're busy."

"Is it really such a big – " she began weakly, but at the sight of his narrowed eyes she broke off.

"Tell him, Rose," he said, before sidestepping her and letting himself out of the room. Rose stared at the spot where he had just been, biting her lip, her mind full of questions.

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><p><strong>AN: Every word of this chapter was like squeezing blood out of a stone. I'm not exaggerating, it was seriously the most painful process I've put myself through in a while. I'm not sure why - I know exactly where the story is going, I have the scenes mapped out in my mind's eye, it shouldn't be hard to write, but for some reason it '.out. :S**

**Not to mention real life has decided to whack me over the head with a sledge hammer and put paid to any ideas I might have had of idle afternoons spent writing fanfiction *sad face*. I won't say when the next chapter will be up, cause I don't want to disappoint anyone, but I will say that reviews help _immensely. _I got surprisingly few reviews on the last chapter, probably a combination of bad timing in uploading, the chapter having relatively little conflict in it and more conversation, and the writing just plain being crappola. Anyway, nothing kills the muse more efficiently than lack of reviews, I'll tell you that. So uber-thanks to those readers who messaged me over the past few weeks, for forcing me to get off my lazy behind and finish this chapter. I can honestly say I wouldn't be updating right now if it wasn't for you, so I and all the other readers owe you muchly. **

**Anyway, nuff of that. Hope you enjoyed this, and hopefully the break between chappies won't be so long this time. I want to get another chapter up before exams swamp me, fingers crossed. **

**Peace and love, ~A**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Did anyone else notice that the word count at the end of the last chapter was 66,666? Freeeeaky ;P**

_Sixth Year, Part Thirteen_

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><p>She wasn't going to 'unpromise' Charlie. This Rose had been adamant about since her conversation with Scorpius earlier in the week. She didn't give in to cheap threats and outrage, and she wasn't going to be bullied into doing something that she didn't want to do, especially when he hadn't even had the decency to ask her politely.<p>

If he wanted to discuss it civilly he could. But so far Scorpius had shown no indication of wanting to talk to her ever again. He seemed to have decided to ignore her until he found out that she had told Charlie their plan was off – and, since she wasn't going to do that, it looked as though he would be ignoring her for a while yet.

Rose woke up Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade weekend feeling decidedly foul-tempered. It wasn't as though she even _wanted _to go to Hogsmeade with Charlie, she thought grumpily, pulling on stockings underneath her robes with more force than was strictly necessary. It had just become a matter of principle, and she refused to give in to Scorpius' forceful demands. So now she was stuck with the ridiculous situation of going on a date with a boy she didn't even like, while the boy she _did _like treated her as though she didn't exist. Rose picked up her comb and ran it through her hair, hit a snag, then threw it away again with a growl of frustration.

Dom, who had been standing in front of the mirror preening her already flawless appearance for at least ten minutes, turned around and gave her an exasperated look.

"What's up with you?" she tossed her hair to one side and examined the effect. "You're moodier than my dad on the full moon."

"Just…nothing," she deflected sullenly. "Why are _you _so happy?"

Dom smiled brightly, and Rose could tell she had been waiting to be asked. "Oh, didn't I tell you? Calvin's coming up to visit me."

"That's great," she forced herself to say, albeit with minimal enthusiasm. What it really meant was that Dom wouldn't be available to spend the entire day with her, thus necessitating some alone time with Charlie. But there wasn't much point in bringing that up.

"I know," said Dom, oblivious to Rose's scowling. "I mean, at first I was devastated, because I thought he wouldn't be able to make it. Which would have been totally unacceptable. I mean, what sort of couple spends Valentine's Day on opposite sides of the country, especially when it takes literally _seconds _to Apparate? Well, I mean, for him anyway, since I still haven't passed my test," Dom giggled, before catching sight of Rose's reflection in the mirror. "What?"

Rose was gaping at her cousin with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and hysteria. She was so stupid! How could she have forgotten…Rose gripped the side of the bed to stop from compulsively hitting her head against the stone wall.

Dom was looking at her concernedly now. "What happened?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed loudly, as everything seemed to click together in her mind, several days too late. She smacked her hand against her forehead in frustration.

"Okay, you're seriously starting to freak me out," said Dom, but Rose wasn't paying her any attention. She leapt off the bed and began to pace.

"The fourteenth. The _fourteenth!_ How could I have been so stupid?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, I knew it was coming up, but I didn't know it was _this _weekend!"

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"And for that matter," stormed Rose, rounding on Dom with her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you remind me? What sort of a friend lets their best friend completely forget all about Valentine's Day?"

Comprehension dawned in Dom's wide blue eyes, and for a moment she looked surprised. Then she shrugged. "I don't know," she said, turning back to the mirror and resuming her preening. "I'm sure I mentioned it. And didn't you notice when Daisy got that singing dwarf from Malachy McLaggen?"

Rose frowned – she hadn't noticed that at all. Could she really have been so preoccupied all week? Okay, so she _had _been keeping an unusually close eye on Scorpius to gauge how angry he was with her, but that hadn't occupied all of her brainpower! Had it?

She sat down heavily on the bed again, and put her head in her hands. "No wonder he was angry," she said to no one in particular. Scorpius must have thought she was going on a _Valentine's _date with Charlie, when that was about as far from her intention as it could get. Well, she thought angrily, why hadn't he told her his suspicions, so she could set him straight? Rather than just jumping to conclusions like some kind of…of –

"Who's angry? Charlie?"

Rose gave a humourless laugh. "Why would Charlie be angry?" Indeed, he'd got a Valentine's date out of her against all her wishes. Speaking of that, why hadn't _he _said anything? Or Lorcan? Clearly she couldn't rely on any of her friends for information.

"Well, I don't know," said Dom breezily, apparently unconcerned by her friend's sudden outburst. "You're not making any sense to me. What does it matter if it's Valentine's Day or not? Unless you're hoping to get stuck under some mistletoe with Charlie?"

"Ha-ha," she deadpanned, making a mental note to stay well away from any mistletoe that might be hanging around Hogsmeade.

Dom flicked her hair one last time before pirouetting away from the mirror. "Anyway, hurry up and get ready, or we're going to be late. You said you'd meet Charlie at ten, right?"

She supposed it was too late to cancel now – it would look strange and besides, Scorpius was already angry with her. There was nothing for it but to stomach the unpleasantness and get the whole thing over with. After all, thought Rose, as she wrestled even more unenthusiastically with her comb before giving it up as a bad job, it was only a stupid day. It didn't mean anything.

"Alright," she said, throwing on her scarf and pocketing a pair of mittens in her jacket pocket. It had stopped snowing earlier in the week, but the clouds were still a threatening sort of grey and she didn't want to take the risk of getting caught out. "Let's go then."

"Fine with me," said Dom with a smile. They laced arms and marched out of the bedroom together, Rose with a very ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

><p>She supposed it wasn't going so badly, after all. Rose found herself smiling as they approached the small Antiques shop that marked the entrance to Hogsmeade village. In all the turmoil with Scorpius, she had somehow forgotten that Charlie was actually fairly decent company. They had been talking easily about a wide variety of subjects the whole way from Hogwarts, and she hadn't really noticed the time pass, or any of the awkward pauses she normally associated with bad dates. A lot of that was thanks to Dom, who babbled away incessantly on any topic that was brought up. Her good mood was infectious, and Rose found it difficult to be too broody about the turn of events.<p>

When they reached the Main Street, Dom immediately suggested a visit to the Three Broomsticks, where she was planning to meet up with her family for lunch. Rose agreed, eager to keep a crowd around them for as long as possible, as she was sure it was Charlie's intention to ask her for a private walk, eventually. He had been nothing but casual since they met up in the Entrance Hall, but she had noticed how keenly he watched her when he thought she wasn't looking.

As she had expected, the pub was full of Hogwarts students and teachers, enjoying the first Hogsmeade weekend on offer. It was, as usual, noisy and crowded and filled with the strong scent of spiced mead. What wasn't usual was the large amount of confetti that seemed to smother everything.

"What's this?" she asked, rubbing a few pale pink hearts off her shoulder where they had floated down from the ceiling. "Why is there confetti everywhere?"

Dom gave her an exasperated look. "I told you already, silly, it's Valentine's Day."

"Oh," said Rose heavily, looking around at the many happy couples, singing dwarves, and bouquets of roses and mistletoe that she hadn't noticed at first, and feeling her heart sink. Suddenly the atmosphere in the pub seemed a lot less inviting. She glared furiously at a rather muscular cupid who appeared to be sizing her up with his bow and arrow, holding his gaze until he shrugged and slouched away. "Right."

Dom didn't notice her reaction. She had been standing on tiptoes scanning the crowded pub, but now slumped dramatically. "Calvin's not here."

Neither was Scorpius. Rose was beginning to feel sick – she was getting lots of sly looks from fellow students, most of them younger than her, that suggested news of her and Charlie's 'date' was going to be hot gossip around Hogwarts next week. Of course most would assume that the guy you went to Hogsmeade with on Valentine's Day was your romantic interest, and there was really no way to correct their suspicions. No wonder Scorpius hadn't wanted her to go.

"Rose?" Charlie touched her hand and she jumped, nearly knocking over a bar stall. "Um…shall we sit down?" he asked gently, looking at her as though afraid she might explode at any second.

"Yes, yes let's sit down," she said, grasping Dom's hand and striding purposefully towards the back of the pub, her eyes fixed on a spare table that had just been vacated by a seventh-year couple.

It took her a moment, after sitting down gratefully and glaring daggers at a small gaggle of third years until they looked away, to realise that only her cousin had followed her. "Where's Charlie?"

Dom grinned at her. "He's buying drinks. What a sweetie," she put her hands together flirtatiously and quirked her eyebrows. "There's mistletoe just over there," she whispered, pointing to a large clump of the plant hanging in the corner behind them.

Rose dragged her chair closer to the table instinctively. "When are you meeting Calvin?" she asked just for something to say.

"He said he'd be here sometime around lunch," said Dom with a pout. "But I have to meet Mum and Victoire first, and fuss about wedding dresses. Honestly, it's going to be a nightmare."

"Why?"

"Well," Dom took a deep breath, "Mum wants Vic to wear the same dress she did for her wedding, but Victoire doesn't like it, she thinks it's too plain, and that it won't suit her figure, which I kind of agree with, you know, because Vic's taller than Mum and her waist is smaller and if she wears that old dress she'll probably look like a tree, but then again it _really _sets off her complexion and…"

Her cousin meandered off into wedding details, which allowed Rose a good opportunity to let her mind wander, occasionally nodding or saying 'uh huh' to keep Dom's commentary from faltering. Most of it she had heard before anyway. Inevitably, after only a few moments, she couldn't help her thoughts from turning to Scorpius. Where was he? Had he come to Hogsmeade? She hadn't seen either he or Albus in the line traipsing past Filch, but that didn't mean they wouldn't come later. Would they pass through the Three Broomsticks? Albus usually spent most of his time in Hogsmeade stocking up on joke supplies at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, but they would surely come here for lunch. Or would Scorpius want to avoid it because he knew she was here, with Charlie? _Did_ he know she was here? Rose wondered if Flora Bletchley would be accompanying them – her gut squirmed uncomfortably at the thought.

"….and I was like, if the bows are that big, they'll overshadow the bouquet, and if you have them in silk, they'll wilt by halfway through the – oh, thanks Charlie!" Rose's head snapped up and she saw Charlie standing sheepishly in front of them, juggling three glasses of butterbeer.

"So you're having a wedding, huh?" he asked, setting the drinks down and pulling up a chair. "Whose is it?"

"My sister's," said Dom, brightening at the prospect of another person to join in her discussion. "She's marrying Teddy Lupin."

"Cool," he said, shooting Rose a quick, nervous grin, as though afraid she was mad at him. She forced herself to smile in return. "So when's it gonna be?"

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><p>Rose could tell when Fleur and Victoire arrived because the entire pub went silent, a sort of hushed awe at such concentrated beauty. The ripple started at the door the same time as the bell tinkled, and then spread slowly throughout the pub. Most people recovered after a few seconds, and resumed their conversations, although a few of the younger boys remained unable to tear their eyes away, including one unfortunate soul behind the bar who held an already overflowing mug of ale under the tap until Madam Rosmerta smacked him roughly on the back of the head. Rose had to admit, seeing Fleur, Victoire, and Dom all together certainly had a blinding effect – it was almost like trying to stare directly at the sun.<p>

"'Ello, lovelies," said Fleur affectionately, weaving her way to the back of the pub and kissing them each on both cheeks, completely oblivious to the attention she was drawing. "'Ow are you, Dom, Rose…and, 'oo is this?" She turned her large blue eyes to Charlie, who could merely splutter incoherently in response.

"This is Charlie, Aunt Fleur," said Rose, when it became clear he was not going to be able to speak for himself. "Charlie Corner."

"Enchanté," said Fleur demurely.

Victoire, meanwhile, had sat herself at the table and helped herself to Dom's butterbeer.

"Wedding's going to be a complete disaster," she announced dramatically, unwittingly echoing her sister from earlier. "Only four months left and I _still _can't decide on a colour for the bridesmaids. How can I find a colour that compliments a blonde, a brunette, _and _two different shades of redhead at the same time? It's completely impossible!"

Rose, who happened to be one of these maligned bridesmaids, took a large sip of butterbeer to hide her smirk. It was a well-known source of family angst for the Delacours to have to dress so many redheads, and had been since Fleur's own wedding over twenty years ago.

"Where is Louis?" asked Fleur, her eyes sweeping the pub. There was no sign of any of the rest of the family. "'E said 'e would meet us 'ere at twelve."

"He'll be here," said Dom lazily, swiping her drink back from Victoire. "I'm more interested in where Calvin is," she said in a sulky undertone to Rose. "He's late."

"He'll be here as well," Rose replied automatically. After all, it _was_ Valentine's Day. Despite her best efforts, she found herself scanning the crowded street outside, where there was no sign of either Albus' dark head of hair or Scorpius' blonde one. But there was nobody she could ask about their whereabouts, and even if there was, they certainly wouldn't be able to provide her with any sort of reassurance.

Charlie was still gaping at Fleur and Victoire with his mouth open. Rose wanted to kick him underneath the table – honestly, it wasn't _that _much of a surprise, was it? Everyone _knew _Dom and her family were part-Veela.

"So…how is Uncle Bill?" she asked loudly, hoping to steer the conversation onto more mundane topics.

"'E is well," gushed Fleur, perking up immediately. "Although those Goblins work 'im much too 'ard. 'E is too talented for 'is own good, I 'ave always said this."

Rose grinned. She always enjoyed hearing Fleur fawning over her husband, especially after learning from her parents that when the two first started dating many thought the attraction was purely physical and wouldn't last. And yet here they still were, as in love as ever, even after so many years. Proving everybody wrong.

Charlie seemed to be recovering. He took a large gulp of butterbeer, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Heard…lots…my father," he mumbled, before busying himself in studying a nearby singing dwarf.

"Ooh, guest list, let me see!" squealed Dom, snatching a piece of parchment out of Victoire's hand that she had just fished from her handbag. Rose leant across the table and scanned the long list of names quickly, recognising most of them besides a few obscure French names that were no doubt distant Veela cousins. Her heart rate suddenly picked up when she reached about halfway down the page.

"_Malfoy_?" said Dom, at the same time Rose opened her mouth to say the exact same thing. "Why would you invite _him?_"

Victoire shrugged. "He's Teddy's cousin," she said, as if that settled the matter. Rose scrunched up her face in confusion for a moment, trying to work out the connection, before she remembered. Of course, their grandmothers were sisters. How very strange.

"Yeah, but…he won't want to come," said Dom petulantly. "We're all blood traitors, remember?"

"But doesn't he hang around with Albus at school?" asked Victoire, looking to Rose for confirmation. "Why would he do that if he's such a – "

"The thing you should know about Malfoy," interjected Charlie superciliously. "Is that he has a very over-inflated opinion of himself, even though this is completely without justification. He likes to hang out with people who are famous, which is why he chose Albus as a friend, but he's just as prejudiced about blood as his father was, and – ow!"

Rose skidded backwards in her chair, her heart racing, and let go of her wand, which she had been gripping unconsciously in her robe pocket. It had been a while since she had lost control of her magic like that. She glanced apologetically at Charlie, who was rubbing his thigh where the sparks had burned him through his robes, and blushed.

"Sorry," she mumbled, aware of all the eyes on her, including several of the people seated nearby. She stood up, suddenly desperate to get away. "Um, I'm gonna go outside for a minute."

"You want me to come?" asked Dom, half rising from her seat, but Rose shook her head hurriedly.

"No, no you stay there. Calvin'll be coming soon. I'll just…be back in a minute," she gave them another strained smile before turning and walking out of the crowded pub, keeping her eyes fixed in front of her and forcing herself to ignore the many curious stares being sent her way.

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><p><strong>AN: if it seems like this chapter ends really abruptly, it's because it, well, does. It was getting too long, and too much was happening, so I pretty much hacked it in half with a rusty knife and divided it into two parts. It was pretty gruesome - there was a lot of blood. But don't worry, I cauterised the wound with hot iron, and I think she'll make a full recovery. So, look forward to getting the second half next weekend :) **

**PS - all you reviewers, you're amazing. Truly, the best. **

**PPS - I changed by Profile Pic. You should check it out - it's hawt ;P **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Happy Samhain everyone :)**

**I thought this chapter was rather appropriate for Halloween. **

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><p>It was cold outside, but refreshing. Rose sucked in several deep breaths, walking a little way away from the Three Broomsticks, and turning left onto the steep track that led up to the Shrieking Shack. The slight incline helped to get her blood pumping, and by the time she reached the top of the slope she was pink-cheeked and huffing, but feeling oddly satisfied.<p>

She had always loved to sit by herself at the Shrieking Shack. For one, the view over Hogsmeade was amazing, especially at this time of year when the cottage roofs were dusted with snow and tendrils of chimney smoke curled sleepily into the clear blue sky. For another, she could almost always guarantee that she would be alone, which was a definite plus when you came from a huge, noisy, chaotic family like her own.

Taking her time, Rose meandered towards the boarded-up Shack, making for a small wooden bench that had been erected in front of it several years ago. There was a plaque nailed to the wall beside it dedicated to Severus Snape, her parents' old Potions teacher and one of the two Headmasters of Hogwarts Albus had been named after. She had come here often over the last few years, just to think. It helped to remind her of the momentous events her parents were involved in, and what the world could have looked like if they had failed. And it certainly put her own issues into perspective.

Rose sighed and sat down on the bench.

She wasn't sure why hearing Charlie talk about Scorpius made her so angry. After all, most of what he'd said had been technically correct. Scorpius _was _prejudiced – their conversation in the library had all but confirmed this, and it wasn't like he really tried to hide it from anyone. But…it didn't feel as simple as that anymore. Scorpius was proud of his heritage, but that didn't necessarily make him a bad person, did it? And either way, it wasn't fair for Charlie to judge him. The two of them didn't even _know _each other; he was just speaking out of ignorance.

There was a rustling sound, and Rose leapt to her feet, jerked abruptly out of her reverie. She stared wildly around, her heart pounding, memories of Christmas at the Burrow resurfacing in her mind, before her eyes spotted a small figure clambering up the hill she had just come from. Another Hogwarts' student. A few seconds later and Rose realised it was Charlie.

Annoyance seized her, but she fought it back down. It wasn't unreasonable for him to have followed her, she supposed. He was no doubt wondering about her outburst earlier in the Three Broomsticks, and why she had just up and abandoned him. It was her own fault for allowing this ludicrous date to begin with, when her heart was so clearly in a different place.

"Rose!" Charlie had nearly reached her now; he was red-faced and looked a little put out. "What are you doing up here?"

"Nothing," she said, taking a few steps forward to meet him. "I just came up here to think, that's all."

He was looking at her suspiciously, as though he didn't believe her. His eyes swept around the clearing once, twice. "Oh."

"Sorry for barging out just then," she said awkwardly. "It was…too crowded in there."

Charlie shrugged. "It's okay." He walked over and sat down on the bench, beckoning for her to do the same. "Your cousin's family didn't seem too surprised."

She managed a wry smile. "Yeah, they're probably used to me acting weird by now."

"Hn."

She sat down next to him and scuffed her heel idly on the ground. The wind picked up, making the walls of the Shrieking Shack creak and groan. Rose shivered, and wrapped her jacket more tightly around herself.

"Rose?"

The change in Charlie's tone made her wary. She turned her head to look at him, to see him gazing at her with an almost feverish intensity.

"Umm…" was all she could think to say.

He reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"You're so beautiful," he said softly.

"Charlie…" she began in a warning voice.

"You know we're perfect for each other."

"I think that's _very_ debateable," she said, attempting the ghost of a smile. But he remained as serious as ever.

"I don't."

She sighed. "We've already had this conversation Charlie."

"You didn't mean it," he told her, shaking his head. "I know you didn't mean it."

"I did," she said firmly, frustrated at his stubborn denial. What more did she have to do so that he would get the message?

He took both of her hands in his, squeezing them tightly. "I want you," he told her abruptly. "I know you want me too."

"Listen to me!" She made to pull her hands away, only to find them firmly imprisoned in his own. "I'm _not _interested."

But he was already leaning towards her, his eyes intent. "Just one kiss," he breathed.

"Charlie, no." She struggled harder but he merely tightened his hold and dragged her closer to him, his breath washing over her. His lips brushed her cheek.

"Just one kiss," he repeated. "Come on…why not?"

"Stop it!" she yanked as hard as she could, and managed to free her right hand from his vice-like grip. Before he could react, she brought her hand up and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. Charlie's head snapped to one side, and he released her as if burned.

Rose jumped up and took several stumbling steps backwards away from him, her whole body shaking.

"What part of 'just friends' didn't you understand?" she asked savagely, retreating even further when he looked up and she saw the expression in his eyes.

"Rose," he stood up and took a step toward her, but she hurried back even more, into the shadow of the trees that marked the beginning of the Forbidden Forest.

"G-get away from me."

"Rose!" he growled, and plunged his hand into his robe pocket as though reaching for his wand.

Losing her head completely, Rose whipped out her own wand and shot a stinging jinx at him, hitting him in the crook of his arm. Charlie cursed and grabbed his arm, and in the momentary confusion Rose turned tail and ran as fast as she could into the shelter of the Forest.

"Fucking bitch!" she heard Charlie yell behind her. "Wait! Rose! Come back!"

But she didn't stop running, not until she was well into the Forest's interior and all sounds of Charlie had died away. Her vision blinded by tears, she ran straight into a large oak tree, whacking herself on the nose and tasting blood, before sinking miserably to the forest floor. Her breath was coming in ragged pants, and her head span sickeningly.

_Calm down, _she ordered herself, forcing her breathing to slow, sucking in deep breaths of the cold air, counting to ten and then back down again. _Calm down, Rose. _Gradually, her heart rate returned to normal, and the thumping in her head receded so that she became gradually more conscious of her surroundings.

She was in a sort of semi-clearing, mostly because the oak she had run into was so large that its branches prevented any other trees from growing nearby. They also blocked out most of the light, so that it felt almost like dusk, despite the fact it was barely midday. The ground beneath her was hard, and cold.

With a sigh, Rose clambered awkwardly to her feet, using the great tree to steady herself. Her head was still spinning, and her wrists were beginning to hurt where Charlie had gripped them, but at least her breathing was under control and she had calmed down somewhat, her hysteria replaced by a dull ache and a throbbing anger at Charlie. Her mind ran back over their conversation, trying to remember if there was anything she had said that might have given him the impression that she wasn't serious about her 'just friends' comment. But there was nothing. He had simply refused to believe her, the git. Clearly Albus had been right about him. And Scorpius, she thought hollowly, her chest constricting painfully when she recalled their conversation on Tuesday. She should have listened to him…she should have…

There was the faintest whisper of movement behind her, and she froze instantly.

"Who's there?" she called out loudly, her voice echoing strangely in the enclosed space. There was no answer. Rose wiped a few drops of blood from her nose, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, her ears straining to pick up a sound she wasn't sure she'd even heard. For just a second, she had been so sure…but everything was quiet now. Probably she was just suffering the aftershocks of her rather painful collision with the oak tree. Nevertheless, she slipped her right hand into her pocket and curled her fingers comfortingly around her wand. Just in case.

A gust of wind blew through the trees, rustling their leafless branches and making the trunks creek eerily. She wasn't sure how far into the forest she had run, except that she couldn't see anything but trees in any direction. Rose rubbed at the back of her neck, and revolved slowly on the spot, her eyes raking the dark, shadowy spaces all around her for any sign of movement. Perhaps Charlie had followed her. Well, thought Rose grimly, there were more stinging jinxes where the first one had come from if he had.

The forest seemed to close in around her, stifling and menacing. Rose had never ventured into the Forbidden Forest before, besides once or twice with Hagrid and the Care of Magical Creatures class to visit Unicorns or Thestrals. Even then, that had only been on the very outskirts, surrounded by other students and well within view of the Hogwarts' Castle. This was an entirely different part of the forest, and it didn't feel particularly friendly. Her mind unwillingly recalled the stories that circulated about the forest and its inhabitants, that it was full of werewolves and trolls and other dangerous creatures. She had always dismissed them as fantasy, made up to scare the younger students and keep them from breaking the rules. Now, she couldn't help but feel there was indeed a sinister air pressing against her. It was too still, too quiet.

"Ridiculous," she muttered to herself, keeping her voice low. "You're being ridiculous, Rose." She brushed herself down with her free hand and took half a step in the direction of Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack. Then she heard it, or felt it: movement from behind her.

"_Stupefy!" _

"_Protego!"_

Her shield materialised just in time; the stunning spell splintered against the invisible barrier and ricocheted in all directions, illuminating the shadowy darkness with a blood red glow. The force of it shattered her hasty protective shield and knocked her backwards as though she had been physically pushed. Rose stumbled, momentarily losing her footing.

_"Petrificus Tota – "_

_"Expelliarmus!"_

The two spells hit each other in mid-air, exploding with a blinding flash of light. Her assailant's wand spiralled into the air, as if caught in a sudden whirlwind, then fell back to the earth in the middle of the clearing. Rose lunged forward to grab it.

_"Stupefy!" _This time the spell missed her by a hair's breadth as she dodged sideways; she felt the heat of it as it grazed her cheek. Rose threw herself to the ground, her fingers scrabbling in the dirt for the wand, her eyes already scanning the clearing for her attacker. She felt her palm collide with the smooth, polished wood, seized it triumphantly, and jumped back to her feet, both of the wands now clutched in her fist. She squinted through the spell haze, trying to get a clear shot.

_"Stupefy!" _she yelled, but the beam disappeared uselessly into the trees. There was harsh laughter to her left.

_"Bombarda!" _this time her spell hit its mark. There was an explosion to her left under the trees followed by a loud curse. Rose smirked and raised her wand again.

_"Immobu – "_

_"Incarcerous," _said a lazy voice directly behind her, and before she knew what had happened she found herself bound, from chest to ankle, in tight coils of rope. They cut sharply into her skin, squeezing the breath out of her. Losing her balance, Rose toppled backwards, landing heavily and feeling the back of her skull crack against what felt like a very sharp rock. She lay motionless, her vision swimming, the two wands still clutched in her hand.

Whoever had snuck up behind her now crouched down at her side, his face covered by a black hood. "I'll take those," he drawled, reaching for the two wands. Rose squeezed her hand shut as tightly as possible, refusing to let them go, and after a moment he sighed and stood back up. "Be like that then," he told her, before placing his boot over her hand. A second later and he brought it down, hard. There was a sickening crack as her wrist broke. Rose screamed.

"Shut her up, will you?" said another voice.

_"Silencio."_

Now she was screaming, but there was no sound coming out. Rose choked, feeling her consciousness slip. Her sight dimmed and she must have blacked out for a few moments, because when she came to her senses again her attackers seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument. Fighting back the nausea of pain, she forced herself to listen to what they were saying.

"…idiotic idea to do it now. Should have waited like we planned."

"Oh yeah? An' how many times d'you think she's gonna come blunderin' into the Forest like this, numbskull? How long 'ave we been waitin'? A pox on the plan – this was too good a chance ter miss. Now shut up an' help me."

"Still…" this was the voice of the man who had laughed at her – by the sounds of it, he was still in pain from her retaliatory spell. Even so, she couldn't help but think he sounded vaguely familiar. She cracked opened her eyes, but whoever they were, they were standing behind her, out of sight. "They're going to notice she's gone, aren't they? Going to come looking for her, straight away? What are we going to do?"

"We're toast if they find us like this," said the first voice, with just a hint of panic. "Might as well Apparate ourselves to Azkaban right now. This was stupid. We should've followed the plan."

"Shut _up! _It's done, there ain't no point whinin' 'bout it now. You two better shut it an' help me move her, or by all the powers I'll skin you alive when we get outta here." There were footsteps, and a shadow fell over her. Rose shut her eyes again, and forced her breathing to slow. She tried to think of some kind of strategy, but knew it was hopeless. She was wandless and bound, her wrist was broken, and her head was aching and blank. "We on'y need to get her outta this bleedin' Forest, then we can Appa – " he broke off abruptly.

"Did you hear that?" wheezed the third voice, high-pitched and hysterical. In the silence that followed the sound of someone yelling drifted clearly through the trees. Rose's heart leaped – someone was coming for her! Oh please, she thought desperately, let someone have come. If it was Charlie she would forgive him everything.

"Quickly! Get 'er up, we still got time!" Whoever it was grabbed roughly at her torso, half lifting her off of the ground. Her broken wrist dragged along the dirt, and she screamed mutely at the pain.

"Leave it!" hissed the first voice. "Let's just get out of here. Leave her, come on."

There was a string of curses, then Rose felt herself dropped unceremoniously back down. Her head hit the rock in the exact spot as before, and pain lanced through her, accompanying the near unbearable burning in her arm. She groaned inwardly and closed her eyes, listening as the three pairs of footsteps hurried away into the trees, the noise fading quickly into silence while the thundering of running footsteps from the opposite direction grew louder.

Moments later, there was a loud shout from the other side of the clearing, and someone skidded to their knees beside her.

"Rose!" She recognised the voice instantly, and her heart leapt even further, now threatening to come bursting out of her ribcage. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. "Merlin, what happened? Who – what – where?" Scorpius leapt back to his feet, his wand pointing wildly in all directions, but there was no one besides themselves, and the forest was again deadly quiet.

Rose moved her head experimentally to one side, and a wave of nausea washed over her at the pain in her head and arm; her vision blurred as unconsciousness threatened to overtake her again. Scorpius looked back down at her, swore loudly, and dropped onto his knees once more, his hands going straight to her head.

"Crap, you're – you're bleeding," he muttered, waving his wand and conjuring a piece of cloth, which he promptly pressed against her skull. The throbbing eased a little, but the world continued to spin sickeningly. Her wrist felt like it was on fire. "And your wrist is broken."

_No shit, Merlin. _But she couldn't say anything, silenced as she was. And she didn't think she could speak, even if she had her voice.

_"F-Ferula,_" stuttered Scorpius, growling in frustration when nothing happened. _"Ferula._" Still nothing. "Dammit. _Ferula._" The world was becoming darker – she knew she was blacking out. She could feel something hot and sticky travelling down her neck – was it her blood? Probably it was better that she couldn't scream. She heard Scorpius mutter another spell and the binds around her went limp as they were cut. Now she could breathe a little easier.

Scorpius' face was as pale as a ghost, but his voice was soothing and comforting as he spoke to her. "Just stay still, Rose. Stay still and I'll get help. It's going to be okay. It's all going to be okay..." His voice grew fainter and fainter, as she let her mind sink slowly into oblivion.

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><p><strong>AN: Phew, intense drama is intense ;P. I had fun writing this chapter. I hope you had fun reading it :) **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I know it was rather unkind to leave the story hanging at that point but hey, exams were a-calling. They are now officially OVER thank God, and holidays have begun. In honour of this glorious happening, I have made this chapter a little longer than usual. Enjoy!**

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><p>She was in the Hospital Wing again. Rose could tell from the strong smell of disinfectant in the air, the starchy white sheets pressed against her skin, and the glare of harsh white light against her eyelids.<p>

There were murmured voices around her, but she couldn't make out who was speaking. Her head was aching dully and felt a great deal heavier than normal; when she shifted a little, she could feel that it was firmly wrapped in bandages. Her wrist didn't hurt at all.

Sudden panic coursed through her as she remembered what had happened. Someone had attacked her. Scorpius had – how had Scorpius been there? She couldn't remember. And Charlie…Rose felt her gut clench with anger. Her hand on the bed sheet curled into a fist.

"Rose? Honey?"

The voice was her mother's. Rose cracked open her eyes and blinked in confusion, sure that she must be hallucinating. Maybe that blow to the head had addled her hearing? She gazed blearily in the direction of the voice.

"Mum?" her voice was harsh and cracked, but her mother gave a sob as though it was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. Rose felt a warm hand curl around her own.

"Oh, honey. Ron, Ron she's coming round."

There were footsteps. "Rosie?"

"Dad?" Rose blinked several times to settle her vision, watching in surprise as the figures of her mum and dad materialised in front of her. Hermione was settled in a chair by the bed, while Ron towered behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Both of them looked pale with worry.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" asked her dad in a voice she hadn't heard him use since she was about five years old. "How's your head?"

Rose lifted her free hand and touched the bandages gingerly. "Okay, I guess," her voice was still hoarse. She cleared her throat and wriggled up a bit into a semi-sitting position. Her mum immediately began propping pillows behind her, fussing over her as though she were terminally ill.

"Mum, stop," she protested weakly, but nevertheless sank back onto the pillows gratefully. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"_Fine _is a bit of an overstatement, I should think," said her father sternly. "Here, eat this." He passed her a large square of chocolate and Rose took it without comment, feeling too exhausted to argue.

Before she could think of what to say, there was a commotion at the entrance to the Hospital Wing, and Rose heard the sound of several raised voices.

"What's going on?" asked her mother, half rising from her seat. Ron poked his head out of the curtains that had been drawn around the bed, and shook his head wryly. "It's Albus and Dom again." He cast a concerned glance at Rose. "I'll go tell them to wait a bit longer."

"No!" she said at once, sitting up straighter. "Let them come in."

"You've only just woken up – "

"I'm fine!"

Ron glanced at his wife, before shrugging and pulling back the curtain. Now Rose had a clear view of the door, where Al and Dom were being barred by a very obstinate looking Madam Pomfrey.

"We're her cousins – "

"We won't bother – "

"I really must insist, the girl needs rest – "

"It's okay," her dad called out, and they promptly stopped arguing. "They're alright. Let them in."

Madam Pomfrey looked as though she wanted to argue, but pursed her lips instead and retreated back to the bedside, where she busied herself in preparing a potion Rose didn't recognise. It looked a little bit like algae.

"Drink this slowly," she said crisply after a moment. "I mended your wrist, but your fractured skull might take a bit longer to heal, and it will be quite ginger for a few days, I imagine. Not to mention you've lost a fair amount of blood, so be careful not to over exert yourself. This should help to speed up the recovery process."

"Thank you," said Rose demurely, taking the cup from the old Matron's bony hands. She took a sip and scrunched up her nose. "Blurgh. It's disgusting."

"Now, now, it's not that bad," chuckled Madam Pomfrey. She wiped her hands on her apron and stared sternly at Albus and Dom, who were now hovering at the foot of the bed, looking nervous. "Don't stay too long," she snapped. "Miss Weasley needs peace and quiet to recover. I'll be in my office if you need me." And she turned on her heel and left them.

Ron ran a hand through his hair ruefully. "Still the same as ever," he muttered in a low voice once the door to Madam Pomfrey's office was securely shut. "The old dear."

"So what happened?" asked Dom, as though unable to restrain herself. "Are you okay? One minute you were going outside for some air, next thing you're being carried back to Hogwarts with blood pouring out of your head, and your hand all – " she made a rather gruesome shape with her own hand.

Rose grimaced, imagining what a sight that must have been, being carried through Hogsmeade looking like that. Just when the place was full of Hogwarts' students, as well. At least it would distract them from gossiping about her date with Charlie…hopefully.

"So?" asked Albus impatiently when she didn't respond. "What happened? Scorpius said – " he broke off, and glanced at Ron.

"Yes, and just what did Malfoy say, hmm?" asked her father testily. "What brilliant excuse did he come up with this time?"

"Ron," said Hermione warningly.

Rose looked from one to the other, her brain moving slowly, trying to work out what was going on. Ron and Albus were glaring at one another. Her mother was chewing her bottom lip, looking worried. Dom was staring at Rose intently, as though trying to work something out. Her eyes were red; it looked like she had been crying.

"Where's Scorpius?" Rose asked eventually.

Albus turned back to look at her, his expression mutinous. "He's being questioned."

"As he bloody well should be!" burst out Ron furiously. "He comes staggering out of the Forbidden Forest, with my daughter half-dead – "

"Dad – "

"…and bleeding all over the place, while he's completely uninjured. And he says _he doesn't know what happened_!"

"Dad!"

"I – I don't understand," stammered Dom, looking unsure whether she should speak or not. "We thought you were with Charlie, Rose. What happened to Charlie?"

"Why is Scorpius being questioned?" asked Rose, ignoring Dom and directing her question at her father.

"We're just trying to work out what really happened," her mother interjected softly.

"They think he did it," said Al. "They think he – ambushed you, or something."

"How did he know where Rose was?" blustered Ron, a familiarly obstinate look on his face now. "What, he just _happened _to go for a walk in the woods at the _exact _moment that my daughter was attacked?" his voice was heavy with sarcasm. "And, how convenient that his footprints are all over the scene, with no evidence of anyone except _him _being there."

Al's eyes flashed. "You're just jumping to conclusions!" he yelled. "Why would he carry her _out _of the forest if he'd attacked her in the first place?"

"Maybe he lost his nerve when he realised what he'd done!" Ron took a deep breath and made a visible effort to calm down. "Look, Albus, I know he's your best friend, this must be hard for you, but if he's laid a finger on my daughter – "

"Why would Scorpius hurt Rose?"

"Well, they _do _hate each other," put in Dom timidly. Al rounded on her angrily.

"Not you too!"

Dom held her hands up. "I'm just _saying_."

"Yeah, well don't," snarled Albus. "Scorpius would never hurt Rose. He – "

"Scorpius has got as much a reason to hurt Rose as anyone else," continued Ron in a hard voice. "Maybe his father – "

"I'm sorry Uncle Ron, but you don't know what you're talking about," countered Al fiercely. "You've always been biased against Scorpius because of his dad. But that doesn't mean – "

"I don't think any of us should jump to any conclusions before Harry and Professor McGonagall have finished talking to him," Hermione put in.

"Why wasn't Malfoy with you, Al?" asked Dom. "You two always go to Hogsmeade together."

Al scratched his head. "He said he wanted some time alone."

"Hah!" Ron scoffed derisively. "Time alone, indeed. And you didn't think that was the slightest bit suspicious?"

All four of them broke into loud argument at once, seemingly forgetting about Rose, talking about her as if she wasn't even there. She lay on the bed, glaring at them, a ball of anger swelling inside her until she found it impossible to keep quiet any longer.

"Will you all just _SHUT_ up!"

There was silence, instantly, as four shocked pairs of eyes turned to look at her. She had never spoken to her family in such a way before.

"Rose!" her mother looked scandalised, but Rose ignored her.

"Don't you want to know my version?" she demanded, looking at each of them in turn. "Or are you just going to pretend that I'm lying here dead, or something?"

"Of course we want to hear your version," said her dad weakly. "That's not – we were just – "

"I went up the Shrieking Shack, and Charlie followed me," she said, staring at Dom, who nodded dumbly. "He…we had an argument, and I ran into the forest."

Albus swore under his breath.

"I sat under a tree to catch my breath, and while I was there – I – " this was where the details became somewhat sketchy. "Someone came out of the trees, and – and tried to stupefy me, but – but I blocked it – " she closed her eyes for a moment, reliving the terror of the sudden attack, the feeling of when the ropes had bound her and she had fallen helplessly to the ground.

"Go on, Rose," said her mother gently.

"I – I disarmed one of them, but not properly. But…I got their wand." That feeling of elation, when she had thought she would be able to defend herself, to finally put into practise all that she had learned in Defence Against the Dark Arts. It had been very short lived. "But someone else was behind me, and they shot binds at me, so that I fell over. I – I hit my head on…I think it was a – a rock or something. Then, one of them stepped on my wrist, and broke it, to get the wands out of my hand." She flexed her hand subconsciously, to reassure herself that there was no more pain. "And then I think I blacked out for a bit."

Now it was Ron's time to swear. His face was a harsh red, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists, as though he wanted to hit something.

She sipped some more of the potion, wrinkling her nose in distaste, before continuing. "When I woke up, they were speaking. Something about a – a plan, and how they should have waited. I – " she put a hand to her head, which had just throbbed painfully. "I think there were three of them."

"And then what?" demanded her father, looking tense.

"Then…they heard someone coming. A voice. So – so they left me," she shuddered, thinking of what could have happened had Scorpius not shown up. Where she might have been, at that very moment. "And then Scorpius came. And I – I must have blacked out again."

There was a silence. Rose leaned back against her pillows, and closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. She desperately wanted to see Scorpius, to talk to him about what had happened. But she didn't suppose that was going to be possible, with all her family crowding around her. After a bit Hermione stood up and moved with her husband a few paces away from the bed, where they began to talk in low voices. Rose didn't bother trying to overhear. Dom took her mother's vacated seat, and stared balefully at her.

"I'm sorry," said Rose tiredly after a while. "I ruined your day. Your date with Calvin…"

Dom waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're okay. When I first saw you, I thought – we all thought – it looked really bad. I never knew a person could bleed so much from their head."

"Your mum and Victoire, are they – "

"They wanted to come, but Uncle Harry told them to stay in Hogsmeade. I'm sure he's sent them a message now he knows you're okay."

"How did Uncle Harry get here so quickly?" asked Rose. She couldn't decide whether it was all a big overreaction from her family or whether she really was in some kind of danger. It was hard to think rationally about it.

Dom shrugged. "I think Madam Rosmerta contacted him, or something, you know how the Ministry is…as soon as Malfoy came down the hill, carrying you, we all knew something was wrong." She lowered her voice. "I've never seen Malfoy look like that before. Covered in blood, and shouting like a crazy person. We all thought he'd killed you."

"Yes, I suppose that is the first conclusion people would jump to, isn't it," said Rose dryly, fighting to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Scorpius had very probably just saved her life, and yet here her family thought he'd tried to kill her. Something niggled at the back of her brain. "What happened to Charlie?"

"Charlie?" Dom frowned. "I saw him, in the commotion when Scorpius was bringing you down. But it was only for a second. I didn't know what was going on, so…but he looked pretty shaken up. What did he say to you?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?" cut in Albus, who had been standing beside them listening. "I told you he was a prat. You didn't listen."

"She doesn't need a lecture right now!" snapped Dom. "You're just annoyed because your best friend was lurking around where he shouldn't be."

Albus opened his mouth to respond, but his words were cut off by the sound of more voices approaching. A second later the door to the Hospital Wing opened and Professor McGonagall entered, followed by Uncle Harry. Her parents immediately stopped their whispered conversation and looked up.

"Well?" her dad asked, looking from one to another and back again. "What did he say?"

"Scorpius has given us his version of events," said Professor McGonagall wearily. "And I have accepted his explanation."

"He says he was talking to Charlie near the Shrieking Shack when he heard Rose scream," said Harry, taking off his glasses and wiping them on the edge of his shirt. "He ran into the forest but didn't get there in time to see who attacked her. "

"And you believe him?" Ron looked at his best friend, who nodded once, his face grave.

"We tested his wand, and found no evidence of any of the spells that had left traces in the clearing. I don't doubt he's telling the truth."

"It's just fortunate that Mr Malfoy got there when he did, otherwise who knows what might have happened," said Professor McGonagall.

Ron grumbled something under his breath.

"We're going to have to ask Rose to give us her side of the story," said Uncle Harry, his green eyes looking at her in concern. "When you're ready, of course, Rose."

"I don't think – " her mother began, but she cut her off.

"It's alright, I'll do it now. I want to get it over with."

Harry nodded, his expression full of understanding. Rose was reminded that he had been in her position on more than a few occasions during his own time at Hogwarts.

She told the story quickly, and thoroughly, making sure not to leave anything out, besides the exact details of her conversation with Charlie – that was just a little too embarrassing to admit to a room full of family. When she got to the part in the forest, she hesitated for a moment on whether to mention that she had found of one of her attackers' voices vaguely familiar, but decided not to, since she couldn't place the voice whatsoever. It would only frustrate them further if she brought it up, and she already felt bad enough for having not got a proper look at their faces.

When she was finished, she drained the last dregs of the potion and lay back against the pillow with her eyes closed. Her head had begun to throb a little bit, and she felt drained and weary. This had to be one of the worst Valentine's Day she had ever had.

"Right," said Harry, his demeanour reflecting pure efficiency, and reminding Rose that he was Head Auror, not just her uncle. "Well, I've got Aurors combing the Forest, but so far they haven't found anybody and it doesn't seem like they're going to, considering what you've told us. It's highly unlikely your attackers hung around. More than likely they doubled back and apparated once they were beyond Hogwarts, and since there are no barriers that side of the Forest – " he glanced sideways at Professor McGonagall.

"Rest assured there will be extra security put around the borders of the Forbidden Forest immediately," said the Headmistress, addressing Ron and Hermione. "If anyone attempts to enter or leave the forest from Hogsmeade again, we shall know at once."

"It's unfortunate neither Rose nor Scorpius got a clear view of any of them," said Harry, running a hand through his hair. "But based on the fact they were wearing hoods…" he broke off, his expression thoughtful. "We're going to have to question this Charlie. What did you say his last name was, Rose?"

"Corner."

"Corner?" repeated her dad sharply. "Is he related to Michael Corner, by any chance?"

"Michael's his dad," said Rose, watching as Ron and Harry exchanged surprised looks.

"Never liked that Ravenclaw prick," muttered Ron darkly. "And now I like his son even less."

She would have laughed if she hadn't been feeling so weary. Between her father, her cousin, and Scorpius, she doubted Charlie had much chance of coming out of this unscathed. Well, she didn't have any sympathy for him. He had brought it on himself.

"Now you definitely need to rest," said Hermione firmly, and she began to steer the rest of them outside. Before he left, Albus leaned down over her, his eyes an exact mirror of his father's.

"Listen," he said in an undertone, so that only she could hear him, "I know how much you hate Scorpius, but since he saved your life and all, do you think you could be a little nicer to him now? Like, maybe say thank you?"

She opened her mouth, feeling a blush spread across her face, but Albus turned and walked out without waiting for a reply. That was probably just as well, since she had no idea what to say to him. It was strange, hearing him say something like that, completely oblivious to how much their relationship had changed over the last few months. And how things had changed. Now she couldn't even remember why she had hated Scorpius for so long. She looked at her father, wondering whether he would ever change his opinion about Draco's son. She supposed he would have to if…but she wouldn't think that far ahead.

"I'm going to go and talk to Harry," said Ron, and he bent over and pecked Rose on the forehead. "I'll be back in a bit, sweetheart."

"Sure, Dad."

"You should try and sleep," her mother was gazing sympathetically at her. "You're exhausted. Try not to worry about those…people. I don't think your father will rest until they're caught."

Rose nodded automatically. She hadn't really thought much about it, beyond the immediate retelling of what had happened. She supposed she should feel afraid, or worried, but truthfully, she didn't. There wasn't really much point, and besides, this was Hogwarts – it was the safest place in the Wizarding World. So long as she didn't wander into the forest again, she would be fine.

But she did as she was told and closed her eyes, and before long she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

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><p>When she woke again, the room was dark and silent. Rose blinked several times, her eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness. It took her a few seconds to notice the warm hand curled around her own on the bedspread. Assuming it was her mother again, Rose started to gently pull away, but to her surprise, the hand responded by tightenening around hers. She pulled a bit harder, to no avail. It was only then that she registered the roughness of the palm, the length of the fingers, and the calluses on thumb and forefinger that most certainly didn't belong to her mother. Her mouth stretched into a smile.<p>

"You're here."

"Of course," his voice was soft and gentle. "Where else would I be?"

"Where are – "

"Your mum and dad went for a walk with your uncle while you were sleeping. They left about twenty minutes ago."

She narrowed her eyes to see him better, but could only vaguely make out his face in the darkness. Reaching up, she took hold of a strand of his blonde hair and pulled hard.

"Ow," he drawled in response. She could feel the intensity of his stare as her hand fell back to the bedspread. "What was that for?"

"Just making sure you're not a vision," she said, closing her eyes and smiling. "Who knows what the side effects of Pomfrey's potions could be."

He leant over her, and a second later she felt the warm pressure of his lips on her forehead. She suddenly found herself lost for words.

"I should…I should say – "

"I'm just glad you're okay," he said, kissing the corner of her eye and making her blink rapidly. One of his hands stroked her neck, and a wave of sensations coursed through her in response. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner."

She shook her head. "_I'm_ sorry, that I didn't listen to you. You were right about… everything."

She felt more than saw his smirk. "I know."

His lips were trailing down her cheek now, making clear thinking difficult. "Anyway…" she began, feeling dangerously light-headed. "Happy Valentine's Day…"

He chuckled. "You too." Then his lips found hers, and all remaining thought vanished from her mind. Her arms curled instinctively around him and she arched her back, pressing him closer to her. The longing in her own body amazed her – it felt as though she was having her first sip of water after days – _weeks_ – of dehydration. Scorpius mumbled something and held her tighter, his free hand curling around her waist. He was leaning over her, one leg still anchored on the floor, the other kneeling on the bed. But it wasn't enough. Rose grabbed at his shirt and tried to drag him closer, desperate to feel that closeness that she had been craving. She moaned as Scorpius' tongue brushed her own, totally lost in the sensations of his kiss.

There was a creak, and the door to the Hospital Wing swung open. For a fraction of a second they both froze, arms still wrapped around each other, before Scorpius jerked backwards and away from her as though an invisible shield had suddenly materialised between them. A moment later and the torches in the walls flared to life, illuminating the room with a warm orange glow. Rose stared wildly around her, already envisioning the shocked, horrified faces of her mother and father, desperately trying to think of an excuse for what she had been doing, before she realised with a magnificent rush of relief that the curtain had been moved so as to shield her bed from the main doors. She let out her breath, thanking the gods that Scorpius had had the foresight to block them from view, before hurriedly attempting to flatten the sheets so that Scorpius' indent was not so obvious and to erase the flushed, 'just-kissed' look she knew she wore.

There were several rather ominous footsteps as whomever had interrupted them walked across the polished tiles of the Hospital Wing, before the figure rounded the curtain and came into view. Rose tried hard to keep her expression neutral, but she had a feeling her shock was written clearly all over her face. After all, it was hard not to stare when a near-exact replica of the boy she had just been kissing appeared at his side.

Draco Malfoy looked remarkably similar to his son. They had the same platinum blonde hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. They shared the same imperious look, marked by arched eyebrows and obstinately pointed chin. For a second Rose thought she was looking at a time-warp of Scorpius in thirty years, before her eyes started to pick out the small differences between them, such as Scorpius' broader jaw and the softness around his mouth that was missing from his father's sneer. His eyes were a shade bluer too, she thought idly, or maybe they just seemed that way because of the icy glare Draco Malfoy was directing her way.

"F-father," Scorpius stuttered, looking as bewildered as she felt. He ran a hand casually through his hair, but Rose knew he was trying to remove the evidence of what they had been doing. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," said Draco in a soft, somewhat menacing voice, his eyes still fixed on Rose. She stared back at him defiantly, refusing to drop her gaze, until he looked away with a bored expression and turned to his son. "But I won't. I shall merely presume that you came to see how Miss Weasley was faring after your rather heroic rescue effort."

"Yes Father," answered Scorpius, an expression of blank neutrality on his face. "I just wanted to make sure she understood what had happened."

Rose was in the middle of appreciating Scorpius' well-honed acting skills when she noticed that the top button of his shirt had popped off and now hung delicately from a single cotton thread. It must have happened when she yanked on his shirt, she thought, fighting the blush that was stealing up her neck. Hurriedly, she diverted her eyes and stared instead at one of the burning torches on the wall.

"It seems strange," commented Draco, "that you would sit in the dark and talk, rather than turn the lights on."

"She was asleep when I came in," said Scorpius smoothly. "And I didn't see the point in waking her unnecessarily."

"Indeed," said Draco in a dismissive voice. "Well, I assume you have completed what you came to do. I should like to speak with you for a moment before I return home."

Scorpius didn't even glance in her direction. "Of course Father." And he turned and walked out of the Hospital Wing without another word. After inclining his head briefly in her direction, Draco followed.

Rose heaved a sigh and fell back against the bed, her eyes burning with a mixture of exhaustion, humiliation, and adrenaline. That had been close. Far too close. And yet, a small part of her almost regretted not being caught. It wasn't fair that they should have to sneak around, as if they were criminals. Then again, she couldn't imagine how Scorpius' dad would react…or her own father, for that matter…

She rolled over and closed her eyes. After a minute or so Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and extinguished the torches with a wave of her wand, but Rose pretended to be asleep and the Matron left again quickly. In truth her mind was full of the feeling of Scorpius' kiss and the icy grey of Draco's stare. It didn't seem likely that she would get much rest that night.

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><p><strong>AN: Phew, we are certainly churning through this story. I am pretty excited to have some dedicated writing time, so hopefully updates should continue smoothly, unless I get hit with some writers block, which tends to happen whenever I get free time :S But reviews definitely help with that :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: ****What can I say except sorry? I'll save my lame apologies and excuses for the end. Hope there are people still interested in this story :)**

**Feel free to go over the last few chapters for a refresher. I know it's been a while. **

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><p>Rose was something a celebrity over the next few weeks. Not only had the sudden arrival of her parents caused quite a stir (because, you know, they were '<em>famous'<em>), but rumours had spread like wildfire through the school regarding what actually happened to her at Hogsmeade. The speculation seemed to get worse the younger the teller was, until she overheard a group of first year Gryffindors claiming she had singlehandedly fought off an entire tribe of Blood-Sucking Bugbears before nobly succumbing to her injuries. She corrected them sternly and ordered them not to spread gossip, but at the same time she couldn't help thinking that she was fighting a losing battle.

The worst part was that, true to form, many people seemed to have marked Scorpius down as the guilty party before they even heard the true story. Rose was ashamed to see how many of her peers scowled at him in the corridors, or made snide remarks about him in her presence, no matter how many times she stated loudly and publicly that he had saved her life.

"Well," said Daisy Hopkins one night at dinner, overhearing Rose discussing the issue with Dom, "You can't be sure that it _wasn't _Malfoy, can you?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just," she twirled one of her pigtails around her finger. "You were unconscious, weren't you?"

Rose glanced at Dom, before giving a reluctant nod.

"Exactly." Daisy raised her eyebrows at Peoria, as though she had proved a point.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she gave Daisy her best glare, but the other girl simply gave her a condescending smile.

"Just that you didn't actually _see _them, did you?"

"Well, no, but – "

"So you didn't actually seethat it _wasn't_ Scorpius?"

"I suppose not, but that doesn't mean – "

"So, he could have attacked you, and then doubled back so it looked like he'd come to rescue you," Daisy flicked her hair triumphantly.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," snarled Rose, her cheeks pink with anger. "And if I hear you talking about it again it'll be another ten." Daisy gave her a horrified look – taking points from one's own house, from one's own roommate, was indeed a drastic measure. But Rose took no more notice of her and went back to eating.

"Just ignore it," Scorpius advised her the following Monday, when she complained to him about what people were saying. "You won't change anything by docking points, you'll only make them gossip about you as well."

"But doesn't it make you so angry?" she hissed, annoyed that she had to keep her voice down because Madam Beauvoir was hovering nearby as though waiting for an excuse to kick them out. "That they just spout these lies without even…even _knowing._"

He shrugged. "Who gives a knut about what they think?" he flicked the page on his book, then sighed. "Do you think Professor Cauldrish expects us to read _all _of chapter eight, or just the analysis at the beginning?"

Rose stared at him, her eyes boring into the top of his head. She could tell without asking that he meant what he said. He genuinely didn't care. She supposed that growing up as a Malfoy meant you had to develop a thick skin early in your life. But she didn't have the same sense of self-confidence.

"Well, _I _care, and I'm going to keep docking points until they get the message. I'm not just going to let people run around spouting rubbish about my…my…" she trailed off, blushing.

He looked up, one eyebrow raised sardonically. "Your what?"

"My…secret boyfriend, I suppose," she giggled and hid her face behind her hands, blushing furiously. Scorpius rolled his eyes, muttered something about 'girls' under his breath, and returned to his reading.

Charlie was avoiding her. She imagined he had been told in no uncertain terms to stay away from her by one of Albus or Scorpius, although when she asked them about it they were remarkably tight-lipped. A part of her was disappointed that he wasn't going to confront her about what happened, just so she had a chance to yell at him and tell him what a humungous prat he had been and how it was all his fault that she kept getting headaches whenever she read for too long. But mostly she was glad to be free of the burden of having to speak to him. In Charms she paired with Lorcan, who proved his worth as her friend by keeping up a steady stream of inane, harmless conversation whenever it got too quiet.

Professor McGonagall called her into her office the week following the Hogsmeade drama and told her that, considering her ordeal and the circumstances surrounding it, it would be unreasonable to expect her to continue her assigned 'Harmony lessons' with Scorpius, and that she was free to stop having them if she wished. It was ironic that, having finally got what she had been begging for six months ago, Rose immediately felt her hackles rise at the insinuation.

"You believe Scorpius, don't you?" she demanded, scrutinising the old Witch's face closely. "You know he's innocent?"

Professor McGonagall gave her a sharp look. "I have already made my views on the matter quite clear, Miss Weasley. As I told your father, I am satisfied with his explanation."

"And quite rightly, I should add," sneered Phineas Nigellus, from his position hanging on the wall above McGonagall's left shoulder. "As if a _Malfoy _would be involved in such a botched operation. Honestly, sometimes I wonder whether – "

"That's enough, Phineas," said McGonagall, and the portrait immediately fell silent. Rose tore her eyes from him and back to the Headmistress.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to – I'm just – there are so many people saying – "

"I'm well aware of what some of the students have been saying," stated Professor McGonagall wearily, and Rose thought she looked very old and tired. "Rest assured it will be dealt with."

"Right," she nodded, feeling a little foolish. "Well, anyway, I don't mind the Harmony Lessons. Anymore. I mean, I've kind of – they're not as bad as I thought they would be."

There was something altogether a little too knowing about the smile McGonagall gave her then. "That's very good to hear, Miss Weasley. It's certainly a better attitude than that which you displayed at the beginning of the year. I look forward to hearing yours and Mr Malfoy's full report at the end of term."

The weather grew progressively warmer, as spring swept over Hogwarts. The Gryffindor – Hufflepuff game was played in clear blue skies and sunshine, allowing the Gryffindors to convincingly flatten their opponent, beating them by over 200 points. This lifted her family's spirits considerably, and Rose spent a lot of time listening to her brother and cousins debating the possibilities of a come-from-behind victory in the final standings for the Cup. Unfortunately, any chance Gryffindor had of winning the Championship depended on Slytherin losing to Hufflepuff, which given the circumstances seemed highly unlikely.

"You never know," insisted James, when she voiced these doubts aloud. "Slytherin aren't actually that good. They only have two good players, Malfoy and Albus. If something were to happen to one of them…" he trailed off, his eyes taking on a far-away look.

"You wouldn't seriously do anything to your own brother over a stupid Quidditch match, would you?" she asked, eyeing her cousin warily. "_Would_ you James?" she demanded when he didn't answer.

"Suppose not," he shrugged, before his expression changed. "Malfoy, on the other hand…" and he walked off, grinning wickedly to himself. Rose watched him go, wondering whether she ought to tell Scorpius to watch his back over the coming weeks.

But as it turned out, she needn't have bothered, because Scorpius found a way to miss the match all by himself.

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><p>As the weather warmed up, she and Scorpius had taken to having their Monday lessons outside on the grounds, since they could talk more freely there without the librarian breathing down their necks and other students trying to eavesdrop on them, whilst still remaining enough in the public eye so as not to arouse any suspicion.<p>

That particular Monday, towards the end of April, Rose was sitting by herself beneath the big oak beside the lake, basking in the surprisingly warm sunshine and finishing off her Potions essay. It was still lesson time, but since she had a free period, she had decided to come down a little early and get some work done before meeting Scorpius. Strangely enough, the two of them never seemed to make much progress on their homework together, despite their best efforts.

"Furthermore, aconite must not be gathered at any time other than the peak of the full moon, and must be subsequently kept for six months in clean, dry storage, lest the poison embedded in its stem overwhelm its other magical properties…" she scratched her chin idly with the end of her quill feather and read the sentence aloud. "When being picked, one should be careful to give a clean break directly below the third leaf, as after this point the magical qualities diminish while the poison increases. At the same time – "

There was a small cough to her right. Rose dropped her quill and jumped to her feet, knocking her inkwell flying as she did and sending ink splatters across the grass. Before she had even drawn breath her wand was in her hand, and pointed in the direction of the sound. It took her a second to realise it was Charlie.

"Oh," she said, lowering her wand, her heart rate slowly returning to normal. So she was jumping at shadows now? "It's you." She didn't bother to keep the annoyance from her voice.

Charlie looked awful. There were dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn't slept for days, and a pale, unhealthy pallor to his skin. His shoulder-length brown hair was limp and straggly. He took several steps towards her, his expression beseaching.

"Rose." His voice cracked, and he swallowed visibly. "I – I have to say – "

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say Charlie," she said harshly, folding her arms across her chest. "Leave me alone."

"Look, I'm sorry," he began to speak quickly, as though afraid she was going to interrupt him. "But you've got to listen to me. I need you to understand, I never meant to – I just – I have feelings for you Rose. I can't sleep and I can't – I can't study. I feel so bad for what happened – when I heard you scream, I – but Malfoy – anyway the point is you're safe now, and I hope…I wish you'd forgive me."

She let him finish, gazing at him with a small frown.

"It's okay," she said at last, not really understanding what he was trying to say but appreciating his sincerity nonetheless. "But Charlie, I think it's best for everybody if you just – if we didn't spend time together anymore."

He shook his head vigorously. "I can't – I mean, I've tried, but I – I miss you."

"We were hardly even together!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Let's just forget about it and move on. _Separately_," she added, catching the look in his eyes.

"Rose I – " he took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself. "I love you."

She forced herself not to roll her eyes. Instead, she opened her mouth to tell him not to be ridiculous, to accept that there was never going to be anything between them, and to build a bridge and get over it. The words were still forming in her mind, however, when a sharp voice rang out behind them.

"Problem?"

Scorpius was standing ten paces away, having clearly just come from the castle. He was huffing slightly, as though he had sprinted there, and his schoolbag was hanging off one arm. His eyes narrowed on Charlie, who immediately spun around to face him.

"Malfoy," he spat viciously, his tone laced with anger. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Scorpius' voice was low, and dangerous. He dropped his bag on the grass and closed the gap between them. "I simply _had _to know why you decided not to show up for class."

"You followed me?" Charlie's hands clenched into fists. "You've no right to do that, Malfoy."

"And what right do you have to come and talk to Rose after what you did?"

Charlie spared her a brief glance. "Rose knows – she knows how sorry I am."

Scorpius stopped a few paces away, his eyes never leaving Charlie's face. "I told you to stay away from her."

"I don't take orders from you, Slytherin."

"Oh yeah?" Scorpius' voice was laced with threat, but Charlie didn't back down.

"That's right," he said. "Rose can make her own decisions. She doesn't need you bossing her around."

"Look, guys – " she interjected, but neither of them paid her any attention.

"I think Rose has made her thoughts on the matter pretty clear."

"You've got no right butting in to a private conversation," there were bright pink spots on Charlie's cheeks now. "So why don't you slither back into whatever hole you crawled out of, you inbred piece of – "

"Listen," Rose cut in, a sense of unease growing in her at the direction the conversation had taken. "Just cut it out, both of you."

"Jealous, Corner?" asked Scorpius quietly, ignoring Rose's attempts to catch his eye. "I know it must be hard, to long for something you're never going to have."

"Jealous? Of _you_?" Charlie scoffed, a very ugly look on his face. "As if you've got anything I'd want. A Death Eater Dad, and a disgraced family name. You're nothing but scum. Rose would never even look twice at you."

Scorpius raised his eyes sardonically, and Rose felt herself blush from head to toe. Charlie swore loudly, and drew his wand, but before he could do more than raise it halfway, Scorpius had his own wand out, and had used it to flick Charlie upside down, so that he hung in mid-air as though he had one of his legs caught on an invisible hook. His wand slipped out of his hand and fell with a soft thud on the grass.

"Scorpius!" screeched Rose, rounding on him. "Put him down!"

"Why should I?" he retorted in a cold voice.

Charlie was struggling to speak, his face growing progressively redder as the blood rushed to his head. "Death Eater…scum," he wheezed, and Scorpius' scowl became more pronounced.

"I think you need to wash your mouth out," he said loudly, flicking his wand again so that Charlie's dangling body floated over the banks of the Lake until it hovered some way from the shore. Charlie's eyes widened when he saw his own reflection in the glistening water below him, and he began struggling anew, kicking frantically at the air with his free leg.

"Scorpius," said Rose in a warning voice. "Don't you dare! Put him down."

"Down?" asked Scorpius sarcastically. He smirked as he watched Charlie, who was making rude hand gestures at them and spluttering incoherently. "You want me to put him down?"

"This isn't funny!" she said angrily, feeling close to tears. "Let him go."

Scorpius shrugged. "Sure," he said, and flicked his wand once more. Charlie fell like a stone into the lake. There was a splash, before he disappeared beneath the surface.

"You jerk!" she shouted, running to the edge of the Lake before whipping round and glaring at him. He looked supremely unconcerned. "How could you – that's not what I – ugh! You are such a _prat!_"

"Calm down, would you?" he drawled. "It's nice and hot, I'm sure he'll enjoy the dip."

"You're going to get in so much trouble," she seethed, pulling at her hair in frustration. "You're a Prefect, you can't just throw people in the Lake when they annoy you!"

Scorpius shrugged. "He had it coming."

"We aren't little kids anymore, you know? This isn't the way to deal with our disagreements."

"No?" he raised his eyebrows. "How would you deal with it then?"

"With sensible, mature discussion, like adults. It's really not – " she broke off, turning to stare at the spot where Charlie had been dropped. He hadn't re-emerged. Sudden fear clutched at her insides. "Scorpius, I – I – " she stammered, her heart thudding painfully. "What if he can't _swim_?"

There was a silence, as they both stared intently at the Lake, which remained agonisingly still. Then Scorpius cursed and began pulling off his robes, his shirt, kicking off his shoes and trousers, before sprinting past Rose and diving into the water.

Rose stood and watched as he swam quickly out to the point where Charlie had gone under, wondering if she should yell for help. If something happened to Charlie – but he would be fine, she reassured herself, of course he would. He wasn't going to _drown. _Scorpius disappeared beneath the water.

"Oh no," she moaned under her breath, her eyes scanning the grounds. Nobody was around, it being still lesson time for the majority of students. Soon, though, it would be end of class – then, surely, some students would emerge on to the grounds to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine. And teachers. Rose's heart gave another forceful thump as she thought of what they would say. Drat Scorpius, the idiot. What sort of a stupid idea was it to drop someone in the Lake?

There was still no sign of either Scorpius or Charlie. Rose chewed her lip, trying to calm the staccato hammering of her heart. They would came back up. They had to, they just had to…

Bubbles appeared on the surface of the pristine Lake, and a second later Scorpius' blonde head broke the surface. He had Charlie's arm wrapped around him, and his face carefully lifted above the water. Even from a distance she could see he was unconscious.

As they got slowly, laboriously closer to the shore, Scorpius paddling with his free arm, Charlie trailing behind him like a dead weight, Rose tried to remember the spell used to clear airways. Her mother had used it once, when Hugo swallowed a marble. _Pe…Per… _

They reached the shore. Scorpius clambered out, dragging Charlie's limp body behind him. He pushed him onto his side, then knelt down and tapped his wand twice against Charlie's pale throat, muttering words Rose couldn't hear.

Immediately, Charlie spluttered and choked, coughing out water and struggling to sit up. He stared wildly from side to side.

"Take it easy," Scorpius' face was even paler than usual, his mouth set in a grim line.

Charlie scrambled away at the sound of the voice, his feet slipping on the muddy bank. "You!" he spat, pointing an accusatory finger at Scorpius, who regarded him levelly. "You tried to kill me!"

"Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim?" snapped Rose, picking up Scorpius' clothes and taking them over to him, since he was shivering with cold. He took them from her without a word. "He wouldn't have dropped you if he'd known. _Would _you, Scorpius?" she gave him a fierce stare.

"Obviously not."

Charlie had managed to get to his feet, though he too was trembling from head to foot. "You – you – "

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. The three of them stood glaring at each other for a moment, before Charlie began backing away.

"I know a really good spell for drying off," Rose suggested, feeling guilt gnaw at her as she watched Charlie convulse with cold, his clothes still dripping wet and hanging off him. "Here, let me – "

"No!" Charlie stumbled backwards as though afraid she was going to curse him. "I – you're – " he turned and began hurrying away. Rose watched him go with a sinking feeling in her gut.

"You're going to get in so much trouble," she said wearily, watching Charlie disappear up the hill. Next to her, Scorpius began drying himself off with his wand, looking as calm and unruffled as though he had intended to go for a swim all along.

He gave her a cold look. "I saved him, didn't I?"

She shook her head. "You should never have dropped him there in the first place. It was idiotic."

"He should've stuck to minding his own business," he responded, still in the same aloof tone of voice. "I told him to stay away from you."

She rounded on him angrily. "I'm not a baby, Scorpius! I can take care of myself just fine!"

"Right, and that's why I found you trussed up in the forest with blood pouring out of your head just a few weeks ago. Real good job of looking after yourself Rose."

"This is completely different!"

"Not really. What if you and Corner had another argument, and you ran into the forest like you did last time. I didn't – "

"We weren't having an argument! And I'm not going to go running off again. Do you think I'm stupid?"

There were students coming out of the castle now. From the way that they were pointing excitedly in the direction of the lake, Rose could tell they had encountered Charlie in the Entrance Hall. She wondered if he would go straight to McGonagall.

Scorpius was sneering at her now. She didn't like the look on his face at all. "Sometimes you do a pretty good impression."

She couldn't believe they were fighting again. It was like none of the last few months had happened. Rose turned around and started gathering her books together. Clearly, they were not going to sit and enjoy a lesson together as planned.

"In Slytherin," Scorpius began, and he sounded as though he was keeping his voice neutral with an effort. "If someone breaks an agreement, then they have to suffer the consequences. Otherwise the agreement was meaningless from the beginning, wasn't it?"

She straightened and looked him in the eye. He was almost completely dry, only the tips of his hair betraying what had happened. His grey eyes were searching hers. Suddenly she was overcome with an intense desire to be alone.

"Well, I'm not in Slytherin, am I?"

"No."

"And in Gryffindor, we see these things a little differently."

Then she brushed past him, striding away up the hill and back to the castle without a second glance. There was something heavy settling in her stomach, and when she reached the top step before the great double-panelled doors that opened onto the Entrance Hall she couldn't resist taking one look back at the Lake. But Scorpius was nowhere to be seen.

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><p><strong>AN: Yes, it's three months late and I've been AWOL for all that time. I'm sorry. I did intend to spend my summer holidays writing this story and have it finished by now, but life kind of intervened. Long story short: my boyfriend and I broke up, I spent most of my summer at my parents house on the beach, totally cut off from the outside world, in order to heal the hurt. I just needed to get away from anything and everything that reminded me of him, and sadly this story was one of those things. I couldn't face it. **

**Anyway that's done and dusted now. I'm back at uni and I'm back writing this story. Hopefully you all haven't abandoned me :P And I hope I don't disappoint. I know where this story's going, I have the plan and everything, I just have to write it. And hope that you like it, of course.**

**Till next time (it won't be three months, I promise!), ~A**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: has it really been a month? I dispute that! No way this year is ticking away so fast...clearly my computer clock is playing tricks on me. **

**This chapter is Angst with a side-serving of even more Angst. But we all love Angst.**

**Don't forget to leave a review, cause they make me happy and (more importantly for you) they make me write.**

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><p><em>Sixth Year, part seventeen<em>

It was all anyone was talking about the next day. That Scorpius Malfoy had cursed Charlie and tried to drown him in the lake. Since it was the second major incident involving Rose, Scorpius and Charlie in little over a few months, the speculation was even more hysterical than it had been the first time round. Rumour spread like fiendfyre that Charlie had been about to tell everyone the truth about the Hogsmeade drama, and Scorpius had taken drastic measures to try and silence him. Some were even more ridiculous than that.

Rose was feeling entirely unable to face breakfast the next morning, her appetite completely gone, but Dom dragged her down despite her protests, telling her that if she didn't show it would only make the rumours worse. So she grit her teeth and braved the stares, glaring so fiercely that no one dared to approach her, although the Great Hall seemed full of whispers and subtle finger pointing whenever she turned her back.

Scorpius wasn't at the Slytherin table – he hadn't been there at dinner the previous day either. Rose suspected he was in Professor McGonagall's office, since her chair was also absent, leaving Albus to fend off questions by himself once again. Her cousin looked annoyed. Once, he caught Rose's eye, before looking pointedly away, and she knew there was a lecture coming up. Charlie sat surrounded by Ravenclaws, muttering mutinously.

For some reason Rose had no idea of, Dom was also looking particularly sulky. She'd barely said a word about the events of the day before, having gone up to their room early after dinner and drawn the hangings closed around her bed, and now seemed entirely disinterested in speculating about what punishment Scorpius would receive.

"Okay," Rose snapped at last, after Dom had completely ignored her suggestion of detention in the Forbidden Forest with the Acromantula colony. "So I suppose it doesn't matter to you at all, whether I have to go with him and get attacked by giant spiders, or Trolls, or – or people," she shuddered, her mind involuntarily recalling the voices of her three attackers.

Dom looked at her, and Rose saw with concern that her eyes were red-rimmed as though she had been crying. "What's wrong?" she asked in an entirely different tone of voice. "You're not crying because Scorpius is getting in trouble, are you?"

Her cousin attempted a watery smile. "No," she said, rubbing a hand over her face. "It's – it's Calvin." Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

"Oh. What…what's happened?" asked Rose, contemplating the best way to approach this without hurting Dom's feelings. "Did you have a fight?"

Dom shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing from side to side. "Not even a fight," she said miserably. "He – he broke up with me." She dissolved into loud sobs.

Rose blinked, taken by complete surprise. She had been so caught up in her own drama she hadn't even registered that Dom was upset about something. A wave of guilt washed over her and she made a sympathetic face. "When?"

"L-last night, by – by owl," she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. She was starting to attract attention now, though the Hall was still too noisy for many people besides a few nearby Gryffindors to have noticed. Rose tried desperately to think of something to say. She hadn't had much experience with this, since it was almost always Dom who did the breaking up in her relationships. Her cousin frequently tired of the one guy and moved on without seeming at all affected by it. But this was different. In fact, thought Rose as she chewed thoughtfully on a mouthful of toast, Calvin had been by far her cousin's longest relationship. She had never assumed _he _would be the one to end it.

"Umm…" she said at last, since Dom's sobs had started to subside and she was looking at her expectantly. "I don't…did he say why?"

"He said – " Dom made a face. "He said he was too busy, that he didn't have time for a relationship. That he wanted some time apart to _re-evaluate,_ and maybe we'd get back together in the summer."

"Well…" she said carefully, "Maybe he did – "

"Oh don't be stupid!" snapped Dom, her cheeks flushing red, anger clearly starting to replace her other emotions. "It's the same excuse I gave all my ex-boyfriends when _I _wanted to split up. What he means is that he's bored with me. He's probably met some – some floozy in London."

"I don't think – "

"Well, who needs him anyway, right?" interrupted Dom, her eyes flashing. "I can get any guy I want. I don't need him. I'll make him regret ever leaving – "

"Miss W-Weasley?" the small voice was nearly lost in Dom's tirade. Turning in her seat, Rose saw a small, quivering first year staring back at her, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"What is it?" she asked warily, fairly certain she already knew the answer.

"P-Professor McGonagall sent me," the boy squeaked. "Sh-she said you should go to her office after – after breakfast." He scurried away as soon as the words were out of his mouth, seemingly keen to put distance between himself and the older Gryffindors.

Rose heaved a sigh and turned back to Dom. "Spose that's about yesterday," she said. "I better go now or McGonagall'll probably find an excuse to give me detention."

"Yeah," said Dom in a strange, tight voice. "Sure. Whatever."

Rose rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's not like I _want _to go," she snapped. "I'd much rather stay here and listen to your never ending relationship drama."

Dom gave her a poisonous glare. 'Go on," she said cuttingly. "Don't stop Rose. Tell me what you're really thinking. Merlin knows it's all about you these days."

"That's not fair," she said, stung by the criticism. "You know I didn't mean for this to happ – "

"You _never_ mean for it to happen," retorted Dom. "But you refuse to take my good advice and stay away from Malfoy, so what else do you expect? The guy's a snake. You shouldn't be surprised that he keeps getting you into trouble."

"Why are you taking this out on me?"

"Taking _what _out on you?"

"The fact that your boyfriend dumped you," Rose practically shouted. "It's not my fault. It's not Scorpius' fault either."

"_Scorpius?_" Dom sneered. "Since when do you call him _Scorpius._"

"Since I decided to grow up!"

They glared at each other, oblivious to the attention they were receiving. Rose clenched her goblet, breathing heavily. She couldn't believe that Dom was fighting with her at a time like this. When all she really needed was a little bit of moral support.

Dom's glare was slowly turning from angry to resentful. "I just don't understand you," she said at last.

"That's because you don't want to," Rose replied shortly, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Her cousin stared down at her bowl of cereal. "Yeah, well, whenever you feel like explaining."

Rose sighed. "We'll talk when I get back," she said inadequately. Dom nodded stiffly, and Rose turned and left the Great Hall, her skin burning with all the stares being sent her way.

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><p>The Headmistress' office was on the third floor, close to the Trophy Room where she had first kissed Scorpius. Rose felt a pang when she passed it – she hadn't seen Scorpius since their argument near the Lake, and had been up much of the night going over their conversation and its implications. She wondered whether he would remain angry with her for very long. Hopefully not, since she was missing him already.<p>

Both the gargoyles which guarded the entrance to Professor McGonagall's office had their eyes shut. Rose stood in silence for a minute before clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Excuse me…"

The left gargoyle cracked open one eye. "Password?" he croaked, sounding decidedly cranky.

"Uh…I'm here to see Professor McGonagall," she began tentatively. "I – "

The gargoyle closed its eye with a sigh. "No entrance without the password."

"But she _told _me to meet her in her office," snapped Rose, her already frayed patience thinning even further. "Obviously she _wants _me to go up there, you stupid – "

The other gargoyle made a sarcastic noise. "Now now, there's no need to be rude."

"How can I get in without the password?"

"Can't."

She took a deep breath. "So how do I get the password then?"

The gargoyle laughed dryly. "Can't."

She glared at them. "Well that's just great isn't it. Thanks a lot. Remind me never to rely on you two in a crisis."

"You can always take it up with the Department of Gargoyle Complaints," put in the first gargoyle.

"Oh yeah?" she asked testily, taking the bait despite herself. "And where can I find this 'Department of Gargoyle Complaints'?"

"Eighth Floor," it smirked, and the two statues both laughed uproariously. Rose gave them a very nasty look. After Dom, this was the very last thing she had needed right now.

"Listen you idiotic – "

"Is there a problem here?" asked a smooth, sleek voice from behind her, a voice that was all at once unknown and yet icily familiar to her. Rose froze, before revolving slowly on the spot.

Draco Malfoy was standing directly behind her, his mouth twisted into a derisory sneer. He was wearing Ministry robes, and Rose got the distinct impression that he had not come to Hogwarts for a friendly visit. No doubt he had been called to account for his son's misbehaviour. She swallowed guiltily. While it wasn't _technically _her fault that Scorpius was in trouble – after all, hadn't she warned him not to drop Charlie in the Lake? – she still felt some degree of responsibility for the course of events. And judging by Draco's expression, it seemed he very much agreed.

"I asked you if there was a problem, Miss Weasley?" he said again, jerking Rose out of her thoughts. She noticed that there was a definite inflection of dislike in the way he spoke her surname. She swallowed again, feeling nervous.

"Er…"

He raised his eyebrows, and she felt her face begin to heat. She had no idea why she felt so disconcerted. Usually she was good around adults, but she couldn't help the feeling that this man saw straight through her. He couldn't really know about her and Scorpius, could he?

Draco's sneer became more pronounced. "It's unfortunate that your powers of speech have failed you. But you're in luck, Miss Weasley."

"I – I am?"

"Indeed," he continued silkily. "You are. Since I happen to know that there _is _a problem."

Fighting the growing urge to flee, Rose tried unsuccessfully to engage her vocal chords. "Er…you do…?"

"She ain't got the password," interjected one of the gargoyles. Draco silenced it with a withering look, before turning back to Rose.

"Yes. I believe it involves my son, yourself, and one…Charlie Corner."

"Well," Rose wasn't sure it was wise to be arguing the point, but she couldn't seem to help herself. "_Technically, _I wasn't involved. It was more – more – " his stare was absolutely piercing hers.

He took a step towards her, striking a very impressive figure in his long black robes. Rose felt acutely aware of her own small stature, being at least a foot shorter than Draco.

"I'm not sure we understand each other Miss Weasley."

"I'm not sure we do," she agreed.

"This is the third time my son has become involved in punishable offences this year."

"Third?" she blinked at him in confusion.

"There was the unfortunate incident in the forest earlier this year. Before that, Scorpius received a detention due to fighting in his Transfiguration class," said Draco, with an air of distaste. "Fighting one Charlie Corner, who now reoccurs in the picture once again. As do you."

"I'm…not sure what you're trying to say," she lied.

He brought his face close to hers, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. She caught a whiff of his expensive cologne "Are you aware of the effort my wife and I have made to clear our names in the Wizarding community, Miss Weasley?"

She shook her head.

"Of course not," he whispered contemptuously. "Life in Hogwarts is an easy oblivion for one such as yourself, blessed from birth with a name like _Weasley, _with parents who are loved and respected throughout the world." He looked as though he was forcing himself to swallow something very distasteful. "You have no idea what it is to be shunned, to work every day of your life under a cloud of suspicion and dislike, to be constantly judged on the past."

"I – "

"Let me finish. My wife and I have worked tirelessly to clear the Malfoy name, to present a respectable and refined image for our son to inherit. To restore our fortunes and reputation, so that Scorpius does not spend his life under the same cloud. Do you understand me?"

She nodded dumbly.

"We have done everything in our power to ensure that Scorpius is not judged by his peers as I was."

"That's – that's very honourable – "

"And I will _not _have our hard work ruined by a spoiled little girl who just wants to run amok and drag my son down with him."

Her temper flared at the unfairness of this accusation. "That's not what I – "

"Your intentions may or may not be pure in this matter, Miss Weasley," he interrupted her, and there was a hard glint in his grey eyes that told her his mind was not going to be changed by her protests. "But the fact remains that every time you and Scorpius happen to associate, trouble always seems to ensue. Trouble which my son invariably suffers the consequences of, be they detention or simple schoolyard gossip."

She had no answer to this, because it was true. Trouble _had _seemed to follow her around this year, and by extension, Scorpius. How could she explain this to him, though? He could never understand their relationship.

Draco took a step back, and his expression changed a little. It became almost wistful. "My son has always fancied those things which are forbidden," he said in a strange voice. Rose felt her heart rate speed up. She knew what he was implying. "But it will pass. It always does. Desire can never be the basis for true affection."

"I…" he was wrong. Rose blinked back the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. He was wrong.

"Nothing good can come of this," Draco's tone was cold again. He looked stiff and remote, like a figure from history. He walked past her towards the gargoyles. "The password is _gratitude._" The gargoyles sprang obediently aside, and a doorway materialised where they had been. Draco turned his head slightly, just enough to give her one last hard look. "Stay away from my son, Rose Weasley. For everybody's sake, but especially for his." Then he disappeared inside the doorway, which solidified into stone once more.

Rose stared blankly at the place where he had stood, her eyes burning with unshed tears and humiliation. She felt physically exhausted, despite it only being early in the morning. She was just so tired of the drama that seemed to follow her and Scorpius, the circular fighting, and most of all the crushing inevitability that told her it was only a matter of time before it all came to an end, no matter how good it felt when they were together. There was a deep ache in her gut. Draco's words echoed in her head, again and again, like poison; she pressed a hand against her mouth to hold back a sob. Everything he had said had been right – but it _felt_ so wrong_. _

"Don't cry love," murmured one of the gargoyles in a completely different voice than the one he had used earlier. Both its eyes were open now and its gaze was sympathetic.

"Yeah," added the other one. "It's not as bad as all that."

Rose sniffed, and dragged a hand across her cheeks. She hadn't even realised she'd let some of her tears escape. Crying in front of gargoyles – could she really sink any lower? She turned and began to walk blindly up the corridor, away from McGonagall's office. She didn't know where she was going – certainly not back to the Great Hall – but anywhere had to be better than standing there receiving sympathy from enchanted sculptures.

She had only made it halfway up the corridor, however, when she heard the stones behind her grinding as they morphed into a doorway once more. Thinking it must be Draco again, Rose quickened her pace, only to be brought up short by a familiar voice.

"Rose?"

She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up, his footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor. He came up behind her and paused, forcing her to turn around and face him.

Scorpius had his head to one side, as though studying her. His expression was inscrutable – she couldn't tell if he was angry with her, indifferent, or nervous. It reminded her of how he had looked in fourth year, when she had rejected his offer of a date to the Yule Ball. The memory of that day only made the ache in her gut throb a little harder, and she gritted her teeth. It began to dawn on her that her feelings for Scorpius were more – much more – than mere casual attraction. She couldn't just throw them away, like Draco asked of her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice breaking the awkward silence that had settled around them. "Why aren't you at breakfast?"

She shrugged, then decided to tell the truth. "McGonagall wanted to see me."

"Oh." His eyes darkened and he shifted his gaze away from her. "Yeah. Right."

The silence dragged on again. _Stay away from my son._ "I - I should go," she said, hating how cold she sounded. "Lessons are about to start and I – "

"Sure."

She took a deep breath. "I hope you don't get in much trouble."

His eyes snapped to hers, and she read the bitterness in them clearly. "Yeah, me too."

"Well, I – I should go," she repeated stupidly, wincing at herself. She half turned, before catching a change in Scorpius' expression. His eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked suspicious. "What?"

"Did you see my father?"

She shook her head, but he must have read the answer in her face, because he scowled in response.

"What did he say to you?"

"I – " _It will pass…It always does. _" – nothing."

"He didn't say anything?"

Curse his stubbornness. "He – he said hello," she forced herself to say. "He asked me how my lessons were go – "

"You're lying."

She screwed up her nose in frustration. "He didn't say anything interesting, okay!"

Scorpius took half a step toward her and opened his mouth, but was cut off from whatever he'd been about to say by the bell ringing, signalling the beginning of classes for the day. Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"Scorpius I – "

"Let me guess," he interrupted in a tight voice. "You don't think we should see each other anymore."

She looked up at him, confused, and was shocked to see an expression of intense distaste on his face.

"What?"

"That's so predictable of you Rose," he spat, as the sounds of other students began to filter up towards them. It wouldn't be long until the corridor was filled with people.

Of all his possible reactions, Rose hadn't really expected scorn. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and shook her head. His sneer only deepened, until he was a mirror image of his father.

"I have to go to class," she said weakly, unable to look at him. It was wrong. It was all wrong. "I – I'll…"

"Spare me," he drawled, sounding almost like a stranger. The ache in her gut gave another violent squeeze, and she blinked rapidly. "I'll see you round." He brushed past her.

"Yep," she breathed, her voice so quiet even she didn't really hear it above the noise of the students coming towards her. "See you, then."

But she was talking to herself now.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: zomg, mid-week update. How awesome am I? Not only that, but I've actually pretty much finished the next chapter. Just a bit of polishing, and she's right to go. o.0 amazing, huh?**

**We're getting up to the juicy part of this story now, which is fun. I know it seems like I've skipped a fair chunk of 'happy Rose/Scor' time, and it's true, but I did it in the best interests of the story, I swear. I was just getting really bogged down and I felt like I needed to move the story along at a faster pace, and maybe skip over some of the lovey dovey moments. After all, who really likes reading about happy people :P. I hope the lack of 'happy' time hasn't ruined the development for too many people. **

**There're some pretty dramatic moments coming up, though not in this chapter, so brace yourself people. Shit's about to get hectic. And please, please keep reviewing - you have no idea how much motivation it gives me. I love y'all. **

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><p>Looking back, Rose never knew how she made it through the days that followed. She wandered through them in a daze, oblivious to the stares and gossip that seemed to follow her around the castle like a cloud. With a deliberate effort, she shut out Daisy's loud speculation, Dom's sullenness, and Scorpius' icy presence in her peripheral vision. She took to skipping dinner, preferring to brood in front of the common room fire alone rather than endure the whispers and half glances that accompanied the Great Hall. The ache that had formed within her the morning she spoke to Scorpius' father had grown much larger. Now it felt like a yawning cavern of emptiness.<p>

A week after the incident at the Lake, Dom cornered her. It was late in the evening, after most of the students had gone to bed. Rose was sitting in her favourite armchair by the fire, with a book open on her lap that she wasn't reading. Her cousin sat down opposite and leant towards her with a frown. Rose gathered herself for another argument she desperately didn't want.

"You must think I'm stupid."

Rose blinked. That was not what she had been expecting. She stared at her cousin, who glared defiantly back.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm your best friend. Don't play me for an idiot."

"I don't…"

Dom sighed in frustration. "You're not coming down to dinner. I haven't seen you smile properly in over a week, and when you think no one's watching, you get this depressed, pensive look on your face like you're at a funeral. Albus says you're the same in Potions, so I know it's not just me you're avoiding. Tell me what's wrong."

She honestly hadn't thought she'd been that obvious. She gave Dom an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry. I've just been…tired."

"Tired?" Dom rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I've been through enough breakups Rose, I know what this is about."

"I – "

"I know you were sneaking off with a boy earlier this year. When you asked James for his invisibility cloak. Who is it?"

Rose couldn't help gaping at her cousin. It stung her that she had been figured out so easily. More than that, it scared her. If Dom was coming to these conclusions, that meant others were as well. "It's not – "

"Why won't you tell me?" Dom's eyes were shining with hurt. "Why won't you trust me? What could be so bad you won't share it with me? I tell you _everything._"

She could tell her, realised Rose. All she had to do was open her mouth and say the words: _'It was Scorpius_._' _Then Dom would know. It was at once desperately tempting and at the same time terrifying. Dom would be angry and shocked and utterly disapproving. Rose wasn't sure she could stand having to listen to all the reasons it was a bad idea – she already had them running on repeat through her mind at every moment. And in the end, she thought, staring into the fire and ignoring Dom's sound of impatience, what was the point in admitting to it? She had ended it with him, and she intended to stick to that decision. Scorpius' dad was right. They weren't meant for each other. The game they had played this year was only that, a game. Her parents would never accept him and his would never accept her. That was just the way things went.

"Right," said Dom tightly after a long silence. "I guess that answers that question."

"I'm sorry," she said miserably, looking down at her hands. "There's no point in telling you. It's over. Finished."

"And that's why you've been moping around all week like somebody died?"

"Pretty much," she admitted. "The stuff with Charlie didn't help either. Everyone thinks I'm somehow in league with – with the Slytherins," she had choked on saying his name at the last second. "And McGonagall told me that if I wanted any chance at all of being made Head Girl next year, I'd better not have any more indiscretions to my name by the end of term."

Dom raised her eyebrows. "Albus says Malfoy has detention every night for a whole month. And that he's been kicked off the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"He's been kicked off the team?" Rose echoed stupidly, gawking at her cousin in disbelief. "How could they do that? There's only one game left to play!" She felt Scorpius' pain as though it were her own. She knew how much Quidditch meant to him.

"Yeah, I know, it's pretty rough. James and Hugo are over the moon about it, though, since their chances of winning just shot through the roof." Dom gave her a crooked smile, and Rose felt a ball of guilt form inside her. She must really have been walking around in a haze if _Dom_ was more informed about the Quidditch than she was.

"Wow." She took a deep breath. "I should really talk to Albus."

"Yeah, you should." Dom gave her a disapproving look. "He's really angry with you. We all are. All this stuff with Charlie, and Malfoy, and none of us knows what's going on. We only want to help."

Rose leaned forward and gave her cousin a hug. "I know," she said. "And I promise that if I need to talk, you'll be the first person I come to. But at the moment I just really think I should try and forget it."

"Alright fine," Dom had her lips pursed but her eyes were friendly again. "I promise not to bug you about it again. Now let me fill you in on all the gossip you've missed out on."

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><p>After that Rose made an effort to conceal her emotions. The last thing she wanted to do was arouse <em>more <em>suspicion, and that seemed to be all that her moping was achieving. It was hard, though, to walk around and act like nothing was wrong, like nothing was different.

They didn't have any more Monday lessons from that point on. Rose almost went to the library the first Monday after their fight, just to see whether he was there, but she backed out at the last minute and went away without looking in. She didn't look outside at the oak tree beside the Lake either. Instead she marched straight up to the common room and engaged her little brother in a game of Wizard's Chess.

Potions was her most awkward lesson by some margin. Not only did she have Scorpius sitting in close proximity to her, but she had Albus to deal with as well. As soon as she started paying close enough attention, she realised her cousin was fuming mad with her. He hardly looked up when she sat beside him, and retained a stiff silence throughout the entire class. Where once he had always been one to cheer her up with jokes, now not even seeing her getting accidentally squirted with flobberworm mucus was enough to get him to crack a smile.

What was worse was that, with Scorpius seated right beside him, it was near impossible for Rose to strike up a normal conversation with her cousin. She had got around this in earlier years by simply ignoring Scorpius' existence and pretending he wasn't there, but such a tactic felt cheap and underhanded now. She couldn't ignore him like she used to, not with everything they'd been through. Instead, she opted for tacky and cheerful oblivion.

"Hi Al," she said as brightly as possible one afternoon after they'd taken their seats and were waiting for Professor Cauldrish's instructions. "How are you?"

Albus looked at her and pointedly rolled his eyes, clearly telling her what he thought of her attempt. Rose sighed.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" he ran a hand through his messy black hair, a stubborn expression on his face. "What for?"

She was hyper-aware of Scorpius sitting on Albus' other side. He had his eyes down and seemed preoccupied with doodling on his parchment, but Rose knew better than to assume he wasn't listening. "Well," she said carefully. "I know I've been kind of…spaced-out lately."

Her cousin snorted. "You could say that."

"And I just – I want to get more involved in your life again."

Next to them, Scorpius coughed. Rose shot him a nasty glare.

"Okay."

Rose waited for Albus to say something else, but he simply went back to arranging his potion ingredients on the bench in front of him. She stared at him in exasperation. That was it? At least it answered the question of whether he was mad at her. There was no way a happy Albus would answer her with nothing but a blunt 'okay.'

"So," she began, fishing around for a casual conversation starter. "How's Quidditch?"

Scorpius knocked his jar of eel eyes onto the floor with a crash. With a scowl, he ducked underneath the table to clean up the mess.

Albus was glowering too. "Oh it's great," he said sarcastically. "Since we have our last must-win match against Hufflepuff in a week, and Scorpius has managed to get himself suspended from the team."

She flushed, her eyes drifting to Scorpius' blonde head beneath the table. "Yeah, I – uh – heard about that."

"Of course you did," Albus drawled. "The whole school's been talking about it. The Slytherins are in mourning and the rest of the school thinks summer's come early."

"I guess…McGonagall thought…all that stuff with Charlie."

"Yeah…" Al trailed off, before turning to her with a determined look that made Rose's stomach squirm. "Maybe you can tell me what happened, since you were there and all. My best friend's being remarkably tight-lipped."

She could tell from his expression that he'd been wanting to ask him for a while. "Uh…"

Scorpius reappeared at that moment, his face like thunder, and slammed his wand loudly on the table. "Al?"

Albus twisted in his seat to look at him. "Yeah?"

"I need to use some of your eel eyes."

"Sure." He half-turned back to Rose.

"And…what's the spell for vanishing things?"

Rose quirked an eyebrow at Scorpius' obvious stalling. There was no way he didn't already know the answer.

"_Evanesco._"

"Right."

"So anyway," Albus turned back to Rose, his brow furrowed. "What exactly happened?"

"Just a stupid fight."

"About what though? That's what I want to know."

She floundered for an answer, suddenly wishing she had never started this conversation with Albus to begin with. "He…was mouthing off. Talking shit, alright?"

Scorpius stood up abruptly, his chair scraping on the dungeon floor. All eyes turned to him.

"What is it?" asked Professor Cauldrish.

"May I be excused to use the bathroom?" Scorpius deadpanned.

"You've only just come from lunch."

"I'm sorry Professor."

Cauldrish gave him a disapproving look. "Alright, but be quick. I expect you back in class without delay."

"Of course."

Albus stared after his best friend as he stalked from the room. "What happened to him?" he muttered under his breath.

"So anyway," Rose continued in a fake cheerful voice. She knew what had happened to Scorpius – she had just repeated the exact same words he had used when _she_ questioned him about Charlie in the Trophy Room earlier that year. "Do you think you'll be able to beat Hufflepuff without Malfoy?"

That returned the glare to her cousin's face. Rose was almost relieved to see it. "Dunno," he answered dispassionately. "Nott's our reserve Seeker. He's alright but he's not…y'know," he shrugged. "And Hufflepuff's Seeker is one of their strengths. That Howard girl's actually pretty good. Hopefully we can thrash them on the scoreboard so that if she catches the snitch, it doesn't matter."

At the front of the class, Professor Cauldrish waved his wand, and the instructions for Amortentia unfurled themselves on the blackboard. "The instructions are now available," came the Professor's dry, humourless voice, and there was near instant silence. "You may begin."

"Al," Rose placed a hand on her cousin's arm under the guise of adjusting the flame for her cauldron. He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "I'm really sorry if I've been weird lately."

He gave her a wry smile. "S'okay." Then his face turned pensive. "But Rose, I need to ask you something."

"What?" her mouth was suddenly dry.

Albus' green eyes bore into hers with an intensity that scared her. "Are you keeping secrets?"

She could feel her heart begin to hammer nervously. With a concerted effort, she kept her features schooled in blank innocence. "No, of course not. Why would you ask that?"

"It's just – " Al sighed and scruffed his hair once more. "I dunno why but…ah, forget it. It's stupid."

"What?"

"Just my silly imagination," he said evasively. "Anyway, we'd best get busy with this potion. Want to chop roots while I peel slugs?"

It was the first time in months he had offered to share potion duties with her, and she wasn't about to refuse.

Scorpius returned several minutes later, and slid in between Albus and Flora Bletchley without a word. Rose tried to pretend she didn't notice him. Just like she also tried to pay no attention to the conversation he struck up with Flora, or the way she laughed so loudly at a stupid joke he made. Instead, she attempted to shut out the sound of his voice by mindless chatter with Albus, and by repeating the same words over and over in her head: _I did the right thing. I did the right thing. I did the right thing. _

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><p>Rose was so busy trying to avoid Scorpius she completely forgot about her appointment with Professor McGonagall until she bumped into the disapproving Headmistress in the corridor on her way to dinner.<p>

"P – Professor," she stammered, feeling a guilty blush creep over her cheeks.

"Miss Weasley," clipped McGonagall. The old witch's features were tight with disapproval.

"I'm – I'm really sorry about missing your meeting the other, um, week. I've just been so distracted and – and…" she trailed off lamely.

"Perhaps you can spare the time to come with me now? That way you don't run the risk of getting lost again and never arriving."

"I – yes Professor." Rose stared at her shoes, abashed. She could almost feel her dreams of Head Girl slipping through her fingers. Biting her lip, she followed silently behind the Headmistress until they reached her office.

"This will only take a few minutes," began Professor McGonagall when she was seated behind her large mahogany desk. "Please, sit."

Rose perched herself on the end of one of the chairs, feeling acutely uncomfortable.

McGonagall sighed, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't think I need to tell you how disappointed I am."

"No Ma'am."

"Your failure to find common ground with Scorpius Malfoy is most…regrettable."

"You did tell me I didn't have to take those lessons anymore," she felt compelled to point out.

"That's correct," nodded McGonagall. "I said it was no longer necessary. I didn't say it wouldn't still be disappointing."

Rose could think of nothing to say. There was no way she would even contemplate reconciling with Scorpius for lessons again, not even to ensure a Head Girl position next year.

"I must ask you to clarify a few of the circumstances surrounding the incident between yourself, Mr Malfoy and Mr Corner at the Great Lake," continued the Headmistress. Rose felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Of course."

"Firstly, Mr Corner claimed quite adamantly that you were being threatened by Mr Malfoy. Is this correct?"

"What? No." Rose frowned and shook her head. Her buried resentment towards Charlie intensified. "No, he didn't threaten me. They were just fighting."

"About what, precisely?"

Rose swallowed. She knew she couldn't fob the Headmistress off like she'd done to Albus. "Um…"

"About you?"

The woman was far too astute for her age. "Um, not exact – " she caught the Professor's sceptical look and changed tact. "Well, kind of."

"Did Mr Malfoy threaten Mr Corner during the course of their argument?"

Rose wracked her brain to remember what exactly Scorpius had said and whether it could be classified as 'threatening.' "Not really," she said at last. "I mean, he told Charlie to leave me alone, after what happened at Hogsmeade. But I don't think he ever _threatened _him. And – and Charlie insulted his family," she felt compelled to add. "He called Scorpius inbred."

"I see." McGonagall shuffled a few papers on her desk before giving her a stern look. "And would you describe either of the boys' behaviour toward you as harassment?"

"N-no." Well, Charlie had gotten perilously close, she supposed. But the fact that he had left her entirely alone since then counted in his favour. "No, there were just some…misunderstandings. It's all sorted now. In fact, I was sort of hoping that, well, maybe, um – " she broke off in embarrassment before ploughing on, "that maybe you might reconsider Scorpius' Quidditch ban. It's just that it means so much to him and it really wasn't his fault what happened and – "

"Absolutely not," said McGonagall, with a finality that brooked no argument. "Scorpius must accept the consequences of his actions. Being insulted is no excuse for endangering someone's life. I'm surprised you need reminding of that."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Rose stared at the floor, wondering if it was possible to feel any smaller than she did at that moment.

"Strange," piped up one of the portraits on the wall behind the Headmistress' desk. Rose recognised it as the one that had spoken last time she'd been there. "That you're sticking up for a boy you apparently can't stand. Very strange."

"Thank you for your input, Phineas," said McGonagall drily. "Well Miss Weasley, I suppose that is all for now. I take it you have no intention of recommencing lessons with Scorpius?"

Rose shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"Very well. Off to dinner with you now Rose. And do try and stay out of trouble."

"Yes Ma'am."

But she didn't go to the Great Hall, having thoroughly lost her appetite. Instead, she wandered aimlessly through the corridors, scuffing her feet and replaying the events of the last six months over and over in her head, trying to work out where exactly she had gone wrong. Meeting Scorpius at the top of the Astronomy Tower at midnight seemed a good starting point, but she couldn't find it in herself to regret that particular decision. Talking to Charlie had definitely been a bad idea, but how was she to have known Hogsmeade would be such a disaster? At the time it seemed harmless.

Eventually, Rose decided to head to the library and try to study, anything to distract herself from her tormenting thoughts. She turned left and began to head in that direction, but had barely made it down one corridor when the sound of a familiar voice drifting towards her stopped her dead. She paused and listened. Scorpius' smooth, monotone drawl was unmistakeable. It was followed shortly by a distinctly feminine laugh.

Rose stayed where she was, just around the corner from where the voices where coming from, torn between curiosity and a desire to turn and run in the opposite direction. She strained to listen to what they were saying, but they were too muffled for her to hear clearly. The girl sure was doing a lot of laughing, though.

When she heard a door open, her curiosity won out and she couldn't resist peeking around the corner to see who was with him. Being careful to avoid being seen, she edged sideways just enough to see the backs of two people walking in the other direction down the corridor. Scorpius, tall and blonde, and beside him the equally blonde head of Flora Bletchley – Rose recognised the high, swishing ponytail and the green ribbon tied in her hair. As she watched, Scorpius laughed and threw his arm around Flora's shoulders.

Rose practically fell back around the corner and out of sight, her gut twisting in a curious mixture of horrific irony and a sickening sense of self-derision. _He's sure moved on quickly, _she thought savagely, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Perhaps both at the same time? Laughing, because of her own stupidity in believing that what she had felt was in any way properly reciprocated; and crying, because she had thought, she had really thought…

She choked back a sob, disgusted at herself. This was nothing more than vindication that she had made the right choice, that was all. Rubbing a hand furiously across her eyes, Rose turned and hurried down a staircase in the opposite direction, all thoughts of the library forgotten.

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><p><strong>AN: pleeease let me know what you think, yeah? Your feedback is like petrol, and I'm the car...and we all know what happens when a car runs out of gas, right? It ain't a pretty sight. Haha, and on that note, goodnight.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: This chapter follows on directly from the last. It was kind of bittersweet to write, cause it marks a transition in the story that...well, you'll see when you read it, I guess. **

**If anyone's interested, I wrote this chapter with the song 'Stay' by Hurts pretty much on repeat. In fact, that song could pretty must epitomise this entire story. Plus, Theo is hot ;)**

**Fair warning, there are some 'sexual references' and 'bad language' in this chapter. Not enough to up the rating, but if you're offended by that stuff, proceed with caution please. **

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><p>Somehow, she had found herself in an empty classroom. She hadn't exactly intended on being so dramatic, but when she had walked past and felt the invitation of total solitude and non-judgment that the open door seemed to offer, it had proved too much for her troubled mind to resist. It was either that or a long trek back to the Gryffindor common room, where she may or may not have been able to sit alone, depending on whether anyone else happened to be skipping dinner that night. So she had walked inside without a second thought.<p>

Rose sat down on one of the desks, her toes scraping the floor as she swung her legs back and forth despondently. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to get the image of Scorpius with his arm around Flora out of her head. It was no use, though – it felt like it had been burned onto her brain.

"Stupid," she muttered to herself. To think that she had been moping around and angsting about her decision to end it when Scorpius had already moved on…how deluded was she? But no, he _had_ beenupset at the time, she was sure of it. And she didn't think he was a good enough actor to fake such a reaction. Maybe boys just moved on faster than girls, she reasoned. It wasn't like Scorpius didn't have other girls he could date – why would he mope around when there was no reason to?

"Stupid," she repeated, more forcefully this time. Unbidden, all the memories she had shared with Scorpius seemed to rush up and overwhelm her in the silence of the room: the way he kissed her on the forehead after they'd flown together, their smouldering embrace in the Trophy Room, his smirk across the table from her in the library, the Astronomy Tower, his hand in hers as she lay in the Hospital Wing….. Rose pounded a fist against her forehead in frustration, but the memories just grew stronger and more insistent.

It took her a moment to realise that she had begun to cry. With a groan, she pressed her palms against her eyelids in a feeble attempt to force the tears back in, but that only seemed to make them flow heavier, and before she knew it her entire body was wracked with silent sobs. The tears she had been holding in all week spilled from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. She curled a hand protectively around her stomach, trying to rid herself of the ache she felt there, the sensation that something vital within her had been ripped out and thrown away. The thought of how stupid she was being only made her cry harder, and even her tried and tested method of repeating all the reasons she shouldn't be upset didn't seem to help at all. Rose bit her lip to stop from making a sound, but couldn't seem to prevent the small, pitiful sounds from escaping her.

Suddenly, without looking up, she knew she was no longer alone. She hadn't heard the door open but she heard it click shut, and through the gaps in her fingers she saw someone's shadow sweep across the floor. She choked, the flow of tears coming to an abrupt halt, and slowly uncurled herself from the near-foetal position she had been wrapped in on the desk. Half of her mind prepared herself for Filch, for awkward explanations about what she was doing and possible excuses for why she was skipping dinner.

Her other half knew it would be him.

She knew she had to look up eventually. When he didn't say anything, she sniffed and blinked a few times to clear her eyes, then raised her head to glare defiantly at him. She couldn't hold his gaze for more than a second, instead settling on his green tie and the miniature snake embroidered on his collar.

"Why aren't you at dinner?" Scorpius asked, taking a step into the room. His voice was faint, as though coming from a long distance.

"I wasn't hungry."

There was silence for a while, before he asked almost tentatively, "Were you just on the third corridor?"

Anger and embarrassment flooded through her at the thought that he had caught her spying, and she snapped her eyes to his. "Did you follow me?"

He shrugged. "I thought I heard someone. What were you doing there?"

She turned her head to the side, aware of how hot her cheeks were. "None of your business."

"I was there with Flora – "

She made a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a sob, and a fresh pricking began behind her eyes. "Oh really? How wonderful."

He didn't say anything for a long time. When Rose finally looked back at him, she saw Scorpius gazing at her with his lips slightly parted and his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"Are you daft?" he said at last.

Rose glared at him furiously, channelling her anger to overwhelm her other emotions. "Don't insult me Malfoy," she snarled. "Just get lost."

"You _are_ daft," he said, and there was a flash of something in his eyes. "You saw me with Flora and you jumped to conclusions!"

"No I did not!" she snapped. "Besides, I don't need to jump to any conclusions – the evidence was right there in front of me!"

"What evidence?" he demanded, taking two strides forward so that he was only an arm's length away from her.

Suddenly she found herself very much regretting rising to his bait. "Go away," she said miserably.

"No. What evidence?"

"Does it even matter?" she yelled, throwing her hands up in despair. "You're free to do whatever you want with whomever you want. It's none of my business."

"Maybe," said Scorpius softly, and he took another step toward her. Rose gripped the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white. "But you're crying over it."

"No I'm not," she retorted half-heartedly. "I'm just stupid."

"Yeah, you are."

She tossed her head at him. "Look, if you just came here to taunt me then – "

"I didn't do anything with Flora."

She broke off mid-sentence. Despite her best efforts to prevent it, she felt a tiny spark of warmth ignite within her at his words. "What?"

He looked very serious in the dim light. "I didn't do anything with Flora," he repeated. "We were just working on a Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment."

"In an empty classroom?" she scoffed.

"It's too noisy for the library," he said with a shrug. "And the common room is full of first years. Not exactly the best place to be practicing _stupefy_, I'd say."

She gazed off to one side, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She was mad with herself for how desperately she wanted to believe him.

"You were awfully friendly with her," she said at last, hating how petulant she sounded.

"She's my friend," he said matter-of-factly. He took one last step toward her so that he was basically standing right in front of her. "But she's not you."

Rose didn't think it was possible for her heart to stop and then restart again, but that was what it felt like. She blinked and focused back on his Slytherin tie, the green blurring in her vision. "And…what am I?"

Scorpius huffed a sound of amusement at her question. "I dunno. At our last conversation you seemed pretty adamant you didn't want to be anything to me."

"That's…" she trailed off, finding it very hard to breathe. "It's not about what I want."

His thumb nudged at her chin, tilting her head up so that she was staring at him. "Yes it is."

"I…"

"My father told you to stay away from me." It wasn't phrased as a question.

She nodded, her eyes dropping back to his tie. With a growl, Scorpius forced her to look at him again.

"And why would you listen to him?"

His question took her by surprise, and she blinked rapidly. "Wh-what?"

"You're a Gryffindor, a Weasley, and a redhead. I've never known you to accept bad orders without question before."

"Don't you care what he thinks?" she asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Of course I do," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well then – "

"Just not as much as I care about losing you."

Her breath hitched, and she felt her mouth open and close like a goldfish. Scorpius chuckled.

"I don't understand," she said weakly.

"I've worked so hard to get to this point. I'm not going to throw it away just because of my father's pride."

"And – and what point would that be?"

He gave her a lopsided smile that could melt butter. "The point where you stopped hating me and started calling yourself my 'secret girlfriend.'"

"Cocky, aren't you?" she couldn't help but smile back at him, and despite all her misgivings she felt herself leaning in towards him. Draco's words suddenly seemed far less threatening than they had an hour ago.

"That's what you love about me," he said, coming very close so that his mouth was inches away from hers. Rose felt a shiver of anticipation run through her.

"It's just not that easy," she said seriously. "My family won't approve either, and I – "

"Say it's me that you want," Scorpius whispered in a deep, gravelly voice that made her eyelids flutter shut. "And none of it matters."

"But – "

"Say it. You know it's true."

"I…"

"_Say _it."

"It's you that I – "

His lips pressed to hers, and all rational thought fled from her brain. Rose whimpered and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, her legs separating of their own accord so that Scorpius could step between them. His hand went to the small of her back, and he muttered something against her lips that sounded suspiciously like 'beautiful.' His other hand caressed the nape of her neck, gently holding her in place. When his tongue flicked against her lips, she gave in with a sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Once again she was amazed at how easily he could make her lose her head. It was as though he had this power over her that she couldn't resist, no matter how much she knew she should. All thoughts of consequences, of Draco or her father, vanished into thin air when he touched her. She scraped her nails against his scalp and Scorpius groaned, pulling her tighter against him, his kiss becoming more insistent.

He pushed her robes apart, his hand sliding up her leg to cup her thigh beneath her skirt. Rose moaned at the touch, and yanked his own shirt out of his belt, her fingers slipping underneath and caressing the smooth skin of his stomach. She threw her head back when his hand slid even higher, and Scorpius immediately took the opportunity to trail kisses down her neck, nipping at the sensitive spot just above her collarbone. She gasped and pressed into him desperately.

The door to the classroom opened, and the sound of footsteps stopping echoed in her foggy consciousness.

"Scorpius? What are you – "

_Oh, God._ Rose's eyes widened in horror, and she saw her own feelings mirrored in Scorpius' own. He snatched his hands away from her as though burned, then straightened with his back to the door, his expression tortured. Even in the dim light Rose could see how aroused he was, and she felt her cheeks start to burn.

Albus stood in the doorway, his face a picture of confusion, one hand clutching a thin scrap of parchment on which a myriad of tiny dots moved. The Marauder's Map. Rose felt as though her stomach had just dropped to her toes.

"Rose? What – " Confusion began to slip off of Albus' face, replaced with a kind of stunned understanding. His green eyes skidded back and forth between Scorpius' stiff back and Rose's guilty expression with almost sickening speed, and his mouth fell slowly open. "What is this?"

Rose had no idea what to say. There was a sick churning in her stomach and she didn't trust herself to open her mouth. Scorpius still had his back to his best friend, and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"I don't understand," said Albus in a low, dangerous voice that told them he was beginning to understand perfectly. He waved the Marauder's Map vaguely. "Flora told me you'd gone to the library to get your book. Then I look on the map and you're nowhere near the library. I know Thursday's not the night you two have your lessons. What's going on?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat with an effort. "Al, I – "

Her cousin's eyes were narrowed on Scorpius now, and there was real anger in them. "I don't believe this," he growled.

"Al, we can explain," she attempted weakly, but he gave her a disgusted look.

"Explain! _Explain? _Explain how come I just walked in on my best friend practically _on top _of my cousin? Explain why two people who _supposedly _hate each other's guts are wrapped in a snogging session in an empty classroom while the rest of school's at dinner? Oh yeah, Rose, how you gonna explain that? And what about you?" he shouted, his gaze locked furiously on the back of Scorpius' head. "You – you…turn around and _face _me, you coward!"

Scorpius' face had lost what little colour it normally had. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath before turning on the spot. The look on Albus' face hardly changed. If anything he only looked more furious.

"How could you?"

"Al…mate…"

"Don't _mate _me," shouted Albus, grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulling as though he wanted to tear it out. "I can't _believe _this."

"Al – "

"Oh but it all makes sense now!" he stormed, pointing an accusatory finger at his friend. "Your issue with Corner…the Hogsmeade trip….even Potions…I can't believe I didn't see it!" He glowered at them. "How long?"

Scorpius shook his head in wordless misery.

"How _long?_" insisted Albus ruthlessly. "How long have you been going behind my back, Scorpius? How long have you been boning my cousin while I look the other way?"

"Albus!" Rose felt her face burn with shame. "Don't!"

"And you!" he rounded on her furiously. "I thought you hated him. You _told _me you hated him! I asked you if you were keeping secrets and you _lied to my face. _Were you both just pretending the whole time?" he slumped against the doorframe, an expression of acute betrayal on his face. "How long?" he asked again.

"We first kissed in fifth year," Scorpius deadpanned, his voice flat and detached. "We've been meeting up since just after Christmas."

"Ha!" Al laughed humourlessly. "Ha! Well haven't I been played for an utter fucking fool?"

"Al please," she begged, standing up and taking several steps toward him. She stopped when he cast her a look that clearly warned her to keep her distance.

"Who else knows about this?"

"Nobody," she said quietly. "And please, Al, you can't – "

"And to think," he interrupted her. "When I saw your two dots together in the same room, I thought well isn't this great, I wonder if they've finally decided to stop _fucking _hating each other and get along like normal human beings. Ha! Here was I just hoping for a friendly word or two – I didn't realise you guys had progressed to _fucking snogging._"

She covered her face with her hands, his words washing over her like poison. She hated how betrayed he sounded, and the horrible feeling she had that she had just ruined a friendship six years in the making.

"Al – " Scorpius' voice was thin and faint, a voice she'd never heard him use before. He took half a step forwards, but Al held up a hand to stop him. "Please, mate."

"I…I need time," Al said, his eyes flicking between them once more. "Time to think about this. This is too much…way too much."

He turned and stumbled out the door, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

"Al!" she called after him. He stopped but didn't turn around. "Please don't tell anyone," she implored him, her voice watery with fresh tears. "I'm – we're still working things out and…just – please..."

"You'd deserve it if I did," he said savagely, then stalked off without another word.

Rose fell back against the desk, one hand covering her mouth. She had never seen her cousin so angry. It confirmed her worst fears about what her family would say if they discovered the truth; if even Albus, the only member of her family to ever give Scorpius the time of day, could react like that…Merlin only knew how the rest of them would take it. It made her feel sick just thinking about it.

They stood together without speaking for what felt like an age, neither of them wanting to break the pregnant silence that pressed in on them. Finally, Scorpius seemed to rouse himself.

"Well, that went well," he said bitterly. His voice sounded strange after several minutes of silence.

"Yeah."

"I have to go and find him," he said, as much to himself as to her. "I have to explain. I – "

"Scorpius?"

He turned to her, his eyes haunted. "What?"

"Do you really think this is worth it?" She didn't need to elaborate further. He knew exactly what she meant.

"Do you?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "_Everyone _disapproves of this…of us. How can we say it doesn't matter when every single member of both our families is going to treat us like Albus just did?"

Scorpius seemed to deflate in front of her eyes. His shoulders slumped and he looked at the ground. "Maybe you're right."

Her eyes were stinging again. It felt as though they had come so close…but now they were right back at the beginning. Like they were chasing each other round in circles.

He looked at her then, and there was a faint spark of determination in his gaze. "Let me sort it out with Albus," he said, with a forced kind of confidence in his voice. "At the end of the year, we'll reassess."

She shrugged. "I guess we'll see." Somehow, she doubted he would be able to get Albus on their side. She knew her cousin and when he set his mind against something, there was little that could be done to change it. Even so, she didn't have the strength to reject him outright. She still remembered how good it felt to be in his arms, even if that memory was heavily tainted by Albus' reaction.

"I have to find him," Scorpius repeated.

"Sure. Go," she waved a hand toward the open doorway. "We'll talk about this later."

He nodded once, hesitated for a moment, then walked out. Rose listened as his footsteps echoed up the deserted corridor, before putting her head in her hands and heaving a deep, exhausted sigh.

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><p><strong>AN: I'd reeeeally like to get to 500 reviews before I post the next chapter. Let's make it happen people! **

**PS - to those that do review: I love you. **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Wow, I should set review targets more often :P (Note to self though: don't challenge fanfic reviewers to a competition unless you have the next chapter written already, cause you're bound to lose). I honestly didn't think we'd get to 500 at all, let alone like, the very next day. Seriously though, I can't thank you guys enough. All I can do in return is hope my story doesn't disappoint you.**

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><p>When Rose went down for breakfast on Saturday morning, she couldn't for the life of her understand why the air was filled with so much excited chattering. That was until she saw a huddle of students dressed in bright yellow Quidditch robes brush past her on their way out of the Great Hall, conversing in low voices and patting each other nervously on the back. Her eyes flicked instinctively to the other side of the Hall, and there, of course, were the Slytherin players, dressed in green, getting to their feet and preparing to follow the Hufflepuff players out. She spotted Albus, and her eyes dropped immediately to the floor.<p>

"Oh Merlin," she said in a low voice.

"Ooh here they come Rose," squeaked Dom, grabbing her arm. "Good luck Albus!" she called loudly.

Rose didn't look up as he walked past them. "Thank you Dominique," he replied solemnly, before continuing on outside.

"Gosh, he doesn't look very happy," whispered Dom. She looked at Rose and her brow furrowed. "I thought you told me you and Albus made up?"

"I – we did, it's just – I – "

"I suppose he's just nervous," said Dom with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get something to eat. I don't want to miss the start of the match."

Rose dug her heels into the floor and stared at her cousin. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?"

"I'm not going," she said firmly. Dom raised her eyebrows.

"But it's Al's last match! And if they win then that means Slytherin have won the Cup. Surely you don't want to miss it?"

"I – I know, but – " she flushed. "I – I just can't, and…he won't – I don't – it's not…I just can't go!"

"Can't go where?" James, Fred, Hugo and Lily materialised in front of them, having clearly come from breakfast themselves. They were all wearing excited, apprehensive smiles. Rose felt her stomach plummet.

"Rose doesn't want to come to the game," Dom announced, as though this was some kind of sacrilegious affront on her behalf. Her family gaped at her in astonishment.

"You have to come," said James, staring at her as though she'd lost her mind. "If Slytherin lose, Gryffindor have pretty much got the Cup in the bag. Plus Al's playing."

"I know," she floundered hopelessly. "I just – I have so much work to do and – "

"Come on Rose," groaned Lily. "Don't be such a square."

She glared daggers at her younger cousin. "I'm not…I don't…"

"It'll be fun," said Dom brightly, taking her arm and steering her forward. "What's the big deal?"

"We'll wait for you to grab some toast," said James, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Just hurry up."

"I feel sick!" Rose said desperately. Her family only rolled their eyes. "Really, I think I'm going to be sick. I – "

"No you aren't," said Dom. "Now come grab some toast and _let's go_."

Twenty minutes later, Rose found herself in the very place she had so desperately wanted to avoid – high up in the stands watching as the Hufflepuff and Slytherin teams made their way onto the Quidditch pitch.

"And it's a perfect day for Quidditch as the two team Captains shake hands," Malachy McLaggen's magically enhanced voice boomed over the stands. "Slytherin of course without their first Seeker Scorpius Malfoy for this game, due to a school imposed suspension for fighting."

The Slytherin side of the stands booed loudly at this.

"There's Malfoy, look," said James, pointing over at the mass of emerald and silver. "Doesn't look too happy, does he?"

Rose followed his finger and found her eyes locked with Scorpius' from across the pitch. He was sitting in the front row of the Slytherin stands, his hands gripping the railing in front of him. Even from so far away she could feel the anger and bitterness radiating from him in waves. He caught her eye and then looked away, and she focused back on the game.

"And there's the whistle everyone. The players take to the air, Hector Nott the reserve Seeker up against the fabulously gorgeous Simoly Howard from Hufflepuff. And it's Harper for Slytherin with the Quaffle."

Rose watched as Harper streamed forward, before being confronted with a well-directed bludger. He threw the Quaffle backwards with ease towards Albus, who seemed to stretch out for it in slow motion, his hands flailing and his fingers clutching at thin air. The Quaffle bounced off of his chest and ricocheted downwards into the waiting arms of one of the Hufflepuff Chasers, who couldn't seem to believe his own luck. There was a groan from the Slytherins.

"And a _very_ uncharacteristic fumble from Potter there," continued McLaggen gleefully. "Don't see that very often. Big game nerves perhaps? Anyway it's Hopkins with the Quaffle for Hufflepuff…"

"Come on Al," muttered James.

"And Hopkins goes for goal….and a wonderful save there by the Slytherin Keeper Blishwick. Back to Warrington, to Harper, to Warrington, to Potter, to – and he's dropped it again!"

This time the entire stadium seemed to groan, except for the Hufflepuffs who jeered loudly. Rose saw Albus whack the handle of his broom in frustration, then whack himself in the forehead several times. She looked over at Scorpius to see that he had his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Lily in concern. "Is he sick or something?" None of the family answered her.

"And it's quickly back up the pitch in Hopkins' hands. He passes to Blakethorn, Blakethorn dodges a bludger, passes to Smith who…scores! She's scored! Hufflepuff with the first score of the match!"

Albus was definitely having trouble concentrating on the game. As they reset for the next play, Rose saw him staring intently at the spot where Scorpius sat with his head in his hands, and there was a painfully hostile look on his face. After a moment he shook his head and seemed to drag his eyes back to the Quaffle.

"And it's Smith for Hufflepuff with the Quaffle. She passes to – oh good interception there by Warrington, and Warrington heads toward goal, he passes to Harper, who ducks a bludger from Malik and passes back to Warrington, he dodges Blakethorn, only the Keeper to beat now, Warrington passes to Potter who – misses."

He had missed by quite a margin too. Blackethorn took the Quaffle as it soared a metre past the outside goalpost, and gave a mock nod of gratitude in Albus' direction. The Slytherin fans were in outrage, shouting and pointing at Albus, who hung despondently in the air as though not sure what to do.

"Uh oh," said Fred, shooting a sideways glance at James, who had his mouth open and couldn't seem to believe what he was witnessing.

There was a cheer from the Hufflepuffs, and Rose realised they had scored again. She winced, and shrank back into her seat. If only she hadn't spied on Scorpius and Flora, if only he hadn't followed her to the classroom, if only she hadn't given in to her stupidity and kissed him…if only Albus hadn't found them, this wouldn't be happening.

"And Warrington's got the Quaffle again, he dodges Smith, passes to Harper, who passes back to Warrington, who passes to Harper who – _doesn't _pass to Potter and – ouch, is hit by a bludger and, ow, looks like his nose may be broken."

Madam Howler blew her whistle, and flew towards Harper, who did indeed have blood pouring out of his nose. Rose chewed her lip. Albus had been open in front of goals then, Harper should have passed it to him. But it was clear why he hadn't.

"Slytherin've got to keep passing it to Al," said James darkly, echoing what everyone was thinking. "They can't play with only two Chasers. They'll get thrashed."

After Madam Howler had fixed Harper's broken nose, the play resumed, but it didn't get any better for the Slytherins. Albus dropped two more passes, including one that was pretty much thumped into his chest, and missed another shot at goal, while Hufflepuff scored three more times.

"And it's 50 points to Hufflepuff, Slytherin still yet to score," shouted McLaggen. "A very surprising game so far, given that Slytherin were predicted to flatten Hufflepuff convincingly. Perhaps Malfoy's absence from the team has affected Potter more than we imagined it would."

"I don't understand," whined Dom. "Al was fine when I talked to him on Thursday."

Rose's stomach gave a lurch, and she thought for a moment that she might be sick. She looked over at Scorpius to see him stand up abruptly and turn as though to leave, before Bachar Zabini grabbed his arm and yanked him back into his seat. The other Slytherin boy said something to him, pointing angrily at the sky. Rose could imagine what he was saying. Scorpius didn't reply, but he stayed where he was.

"And Slytherin score!" McLaggen's voice brought her attention back to the game. She saw Harper fly over to Warrington and high-five him. Neither of them looked at Albus, who hovered some way down the pitch, his eyes downcast. "Maybe that will be the start of a revival for them?"

But it wasn't. Hufflepuff scored twice in quick succession, and when Albus managed to throw the Quaffle straight into Hopkins arms, missing his teammate Harper by more than three metres, all hope seemed lost. The Slytherin fans were practically starting a riot, while the Hufflepuffs couldn't seem to believe what was happening, and were goading their opposition for all that they were worth.

"Blakethorn scores!" called McLaggen. "80 – 10 to Hufflepuff and – what's this? The Seekers have seen the snitch!"

Rose's eyes snapped upwards, to see the two seekers diving so quickly their outlines were nothing but a blur. Her heart jumped into her mouth. Slytherin were only 70 points behind, if Nott caught the snitch they would still win. Then all of Albus' fumbles would be forgotten.

"Oh please catch it," she said aloud, wringing her hands together.

But Simoly Howard was slowly but surely outstripping Nott, who while a good flyer was no match for her experience. She was a foot ahead of him now, a huge grin already plastered on her face, her hand stretching out.

"And Simoly Howard's caught the snitch!" cried McLaggen, his words drowned out by the cheer of delight from the Hufflepuff stands and the furious roar from the Slytherins. "Hufflepuff win, 230 to 10. And a more comprehensive thumping of Slytherin I don't think we've seen in years. Congratulations Hufflepuff!"

Rose slumped back in her seat, stricken. She watched as Albus floated slowly back to the ground and sank to his knees. He pounded the ground with his fist, again and again and again as though he could somehow thump all his rage into the dirt. The rest of the Slytherins dismounted and walked past him without a word, besides Nott, who tapped him briefly on the head as he passed. Al's shoulders were shaking, and she could feel the anguish rippling out of him. She looked for Scorpius, but he was already gone.

"Well at least it was quick," said James, his voice cutting through their numb silence. "I don't think I've ever seen him play so badly."

"Not even that time he played with Demiguise Fever and passed out afterwards," agreed Fred.

"There must be something wrong with him," said Lily tearfully.

"We saw him before the match and he didn't seem very happy," said Dom, looking at Rose. "I thought it was just nerves but maybe it was something else…" she trailed off thoughtfully.

"On the upside," said Hugo, swivelling in his seat, his eyes bright. "This makes our chances of winning the Cup a whole lot better. We only have to beat Ravenclaw and we're set."

"Yeah," James nodded slowly. He shook his head and the stunned look was replaced with a grin. "Yeah, of course. Too bad for Albus that he choked on the big stage, but all the better for us."

"He didn't choke!" Rose said angrily before she could stop herself. Five heads swivelled to look at her.

"What do you mean?" asked James.

"I mean…he's really upset," she said, already regretting opening her mouth.

"About what?" asked Fred.

"He – he had a fight."

"With who?" asked Dom.

"With – " she bit her lip, wondering if she should lie. But surely they would figure it out soon enough anyway. It didn't look like Albus and Scorpius would be making up any time soon. "With Malfoy.'

"About what?" asked Lily.

"Argh, I don't know!" she snapped, fed up with their questions. "All I know is they had a fight and he's obviously really upset and…just lay off him, alright?"

"Sheesh, no need to blow your top," said James, rolling his eyes. "Well, come on then, let's head back. No point sitting here watching Albus embarrass himself."

Rose looked back down to the pitch at his words, and saw that Albus was still crouched on the ground, his head in his hands, totally alone. Her heart went out to him.

"I have to go and speak to him," she said. James shrugged.

"Probably not a good idea. You know what he's like after he loses Quidditch."

"He breathes fire," warned Fred. "And watch the tail. It's got spikes."

She glared at them. "I'm going down to him," she said determinedly.

"Suit yourself."

"Do you want me to come too?" asked Dom. Rose shook her head.

"I'll meet you back up at the common room in a bit."

"'Kay."

Her family meandered off, but Rose turned and hurried down the opposite set of stairs, the ones that would take her onto the pitch. She raced down them quickly, feeling slightly lightheaded by the time she reached the bottom. Albus hadn't moved at all. She took a tentative step forwards, suddenly nervous.

"Al?" she called when she was only a few feet away. He stiffened. "Al I'm – "

"What are you doing here?" he practically growled, without looking up.

She let her breath out in a sigh. "I came to see if you were alright?"

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're upset," she said, dropping to her knees so that she was level with him. "And I know why and I'm sorry."

"You don't know anything Rose," he said, his voice muffled by his robes. Rose thought she saw him wipe surreptitiously at the corner of his eyes with his sleeve, but pretended not to have noticed.

"I said I'm sorry," she said heavily. "What more do you want me to say?"

He looked up at her then, his green eyes over-bright. "I want to know why you thought you couldn't tell me?"

"I – " she bit her lip. "I was afraid you'd react like this."

"And you thought going behind my back was a better idea?"

"I didn't really think," she admitted. "It was on and off and…we broke it off because of his dad, and then – I hadn't decided what to do yet."

He stared at her. "Yeah, his dad. And your dad. What do you think they're going to say?"

"I don't know," she said miserably.

He swiped a hand through his hair. "I don't get how you can like him," he said at last. "I've never heard you say more than half a dozen words to him in six whole years. And you really did hate him, didn't you? That wasn't just some act, was it?"

"No."

"So what changed?"

"I don't know, I guess the lessons – " he rolled his eyes and she crinkled her nose in response. "I know it sounds cliché, but I spent some time alone with him and I guess I just realised that he wasn't quite who I thought he was."

"Took you long enough," said Albus snidely.

"Better late than never, right?"

He sighed. "I don't know Rose, I don't want you to get hurt. Scorpius has a lot of girls…"

Her heart began to thump painfully hard. "What do you mean?"

Her cousin shrugged. "Just that he's a hot-blooded young guy, and he's gonna go after girls. You can't expect that this is going to end happily."

"I…" his words hurt her more than she cared to admit.

"Come on Rose," he said exasperatedly. "This isn't some kind of Beedle the Bard fairytale. Do you know how many girlfriends he's had since third year?"

"No…"

"Well, more than a couple," said Albus with a crooked grin. She stared at him, amazed that he could be so brutally insensitive. "I never thought you were his type, but there you go. He never said _anything. _I can't figure out if he was lying the whole time or if he's only just become interested in you."

She thought about the way he had asked her to the Yule Ball in fourth year, when he had come so close to telling her his feelings. But she held her tongue.

Albus got to his feet, brushing some of the dirt off the front of his robes. Rose stood as well, not sure what to think.

"I'm not happy about this," said Al grimly. He picked up his broom and tucked it under one arm. "I can't tell you not to see him, I know that. But I _can _tell you that I think it'll end in tears, and advise you not to continue. I know Scorp's my best friend, but he's not the guy for you."

She nodded rapidly, not meeting his eyes. "Have you – have you spoken to him?"

Al's face darkened. "No," he scowled. "And I don't intend to. I'm afraid I'll do something I'll regret."

_"Al!"_

"It's true," he stated simply. "You, I can forgive, since you're too innocent for your own good. But _he _should know better. He should know you're way, way out of bounds. I can't believe he had the nerve to – " he broke off. "If James knew about this, I don't think Scorpius would be safe at Hogwarts anymore."

"Don't say that," she moaned. "He's your best friend, how can you say that?"

"_Was _my best friend," corrected Albus. "Now, I don't know what he is."

Rose turned away, her eyes stinging with tears again. She had done this; she had ruined their friendship. And she had no idea how to put things right again.

"I can't believe you spent so long hassling me to like him and now that I do, you're acting like this," she remarked at last, her tone heavy with bitterness.

"There's a whole lot of difference between liking someone as a friend and sleeping with them," said Albus drily.

Her eyes snapped to his. "I haven't slept with him!"

He reddened and coughed uncomfortably. "Well…good. I'm glad."

"Has…has Scorpius slept with other girls?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer but unable to stop herself from asking.

"Of course he has," said Albus bluntly. "See, this is what I mean. You and he are on completely separate planets. You're totally wrong for each other."

"Right…" she rasped, looking down at the ground. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be alone. "Well, I guess I'd better get going."

"I'm sorry if that sounded harsh," he said, his expression concerned. "Rose?"

"No, it's – it's okay," she lied. "I understand."

"Are you going to keep seeing him?" he asked her seriously.

How could she, after everything he had just said? "I don't know," she whispered. "I have to think about things. I'm not sure."

"Well, whatever you decide, I want you to tell me," he said firmly. "I _refuse _to be kept in the dark about this any longer. And you should tell Dom as well. She deserves to know."

"Are you going to forgive Scorpius?"

Al's jaw clenched, and he looked away. "We'll see."

She sighed and took a few steps backwards. "I'm sorry about the game."

"So am I. I don't know how I'm going to face the Slytherin common room now."

"I'm sure they'll get over it," she said, trying not to think about the looks of outrage on the faces of so many Slytherins as they watched their team get thrashed. "After all, how many games have you won for them?"

He shook his head. "Not nearly enough to make up for this."

"I'm sorry," she said again, softly.

"Yeah, me too."

She turned and left Albus standing alone in the clearing, the wind whipping his green robes about his ankles, his hair tossed to one side, and his expression very dark.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, um, next chapter at 600 reviews? Haha nah I'm kidding, sort of, kind of not really but actually, y'know... ;P**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: This chapter is extra long for your viewing enjoyment ;). Please enjoy. **

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><p><em>Sixth Year, Part Twenty-One<em>

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><p>Exams crept up on them slowly but surely. Rose threw herself into her studies with all the energy she could muster, determined not to let the drama in her life affect her achievement in class. If there was to be only one thing she could take from sixth year, she wanted it to be that she came top of her class in every subject, or at least got as close as humanly possible. She was her mother's daughter, after all.<p>

She certainly wasn't alone in her sudden dedication to studying either. Most nights found the Gryffindor common room filled with Weasleys and Potters all desperately cramming for their upcoming exams. James and Fred, who had their N.E.W.T.s approaching, were forced to abandon their happy-go-lucky existence and succumb to the monotony of revision for close to the first time in their schooling careers. It was a rare sight indeed, to see her two older cousins bunched up in front of the fire each night, comparing notes, offering each other sporadic quizzes, and practising the same complicated wand motions over and over. Rose watched them with a tinge of sadness, knowing full well that after graduation in less than a month she would probably never get to see them like this again. She had grown so accustomed to their presence at Hogwarts that she didn't think school would be quite the same without them.

"You guys are lame," announced Hugo, perching himself on the arm of Rose's chair and pointing at James and Fred. Of all the family, her little brother was probably the least concerned about his exams. Hugo had never been much of a bookworm, seemingly content to get by on the back of his not inconsiderable natural talent rather than put in the extra effort to achieve outstanding results.

"Lame?" said James, looking slightly wild with his hair sticking up in all directions and dark circles under his eyes. "Lame, he says! Just wait until you have your N.E.W.T.s, little cous…we'll see who's the lame one then."

_"Scurromungulus," _muttered Fred under his breath. Three small grey toadstools sprouted out of the carpet where he had pointed his wand, then promptly shrivelled and disappeared back into the ether. "They're not _red,_" he whined to James, who only shook his head helplessly back at him. "Why are they not red?"

"Never mind that," said their fellow seventh year Jack Thomas, his head emerging from behind a tombstone-sized textbook. "What do you think the chances are that we'll be tested on the Draught of Peace in our Potions exam? I _hate _that potion."

"Probably a high chance then," said James miserably. He gave his page of notes a disgusted look and threw them in Fred's direction. "We should have done what your dad and his brother did and just high tailed it out of here on broomsticks halfway through the year. Now _they_ had the right idea."

Fred nodded sagely. "Maybe when you catch the snitch against Ravenclaw we should just keep on flying and make a run for it?"

"I could come too!" piped up Hugo, and they all burst out laughing at him. He glowered at their response and crossed his arms. "Fine. Whatever."

At that moment, the portrait hole opened and Lily walked in, looking slightly flushed and wearing a bright smile. She strolled over to where they were all sitting and sat on the other arm of Rose's chair, ignoring her older brother's suspicious stare.

"Hi Rose, hi Hugo," she said cheerfully, brushing some of her copper coloured hair out of her eyes. "How's it going?"

"Good," said Rose, giving her little cousin a once over. If she didn't know any better she'd have sworn –

"Where have you been?" demanded James.

Lily rolled her eyes at his overly protective tone. "None of your business."

"I'm your big brother," said James. "Of course it's my business."

"It's really not," said Lily. She raised her eyebrows at Hugo. "Exploding Snap?"

"Sure," he shrugged.

"You've been with a boy," accused James, narrowing his eyes.

"And what gives you that impression?" drawled Lily, not even sparing her brother a glance. She sat down on the floor at Rose's feet and fished a pack of playing cards out of her pocket. Rose had to admire her composure.

"Your cheeks are pink," said James at last. "You've been outside."

"Well gosh, genius, maybe I just wanted to go for a walk."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked James distrustfully, as though she'd announced a desire to go dancing with a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"Maybe because s_ome _of us happen to like the outdoors, strange as that may seem to you. We can't all lock ourselves inside growing toadstools all day." Fred made a sound of offence at her words, and snatched his wand away from the carpet where he had been trying unsuccessfully to conjure red toadstools for the last five minutes.

"Where did you walk to?" James continued persistently, and Rose resisted the urge to throw her book at him. She knew he was just being a protective older brother, but his reaction was really starting to bug her. Lily was fourteen and if she wanted to go out for a walk – with or without a boy – it wasn't really up to James to disapprove. He was reminding her of Albus, too, which wasn't helping.

Lily laughed and tossed her head. "What is this, the Inquisition?"

"The what?"

"Tut tut, weren't you paying attention in Muggle Studies?"

"I never took Muggle Studies," said James defensively. "Besides, that's not the point. I'm just curious, that's all."

"Well, if you must know," sighed Lily, beginning to deal the cards. "I went to visit Hagrid."

"Oh," a look of relief crossed James' face. "Well that's – "

"With Ben Jacobs."

"Jacobs?" spat James, looking as though he'd swallowed a fly. "That fifth year?"

Lily quirked her eyebrows with a mischievous smile. "Sure, why not?"

"How is Hagrid?" cut in Rose, before James could say anything else. She had been meaning to visit the Gamekeeper for several weeks now. She'd hardly seen him since Christmas.

"Not very well, if you ask me," said Lily solemnly. "He's got a bad cough. And he's lost weight. I don't – " she broke off, and she and Rose shared a meaningful look.

"Never mind that," said James. "What were you doing with that prat Jacobs?"

Lily shot him a disdainful glance. "Nothing that's _any _of your business. And he's not a prat."

"He's too old for you!"

"He's only one year above me!"

"And you're only a fourth year!" shouted James. "You're too young to be going on walks with boys. If Mum and Dad knew they'd – "

"Oh you want to play the 'I'll tell Mum and Dad game' do you?" snapped Lily, her cheeks growing an angry red now. "Well there's a few things I could tell them about _you _that I don't think they'd be too impressed to know about either! How about Jasmine Whittaker and a broom cupboard?"

"That's different!"

"How come?"

"Cause I'm older than you and…and I'm a boy," James smirked as though he thought he had made a winning point.

Fred coughed something under his breath that sounded like "bad move."

Lily had got to her feet, her eyes flashing and her tone raised to James' level. "That is _so _predictably sexist of you!"

"No it's not! I'm just looking out for you!"

"Well I don't need you to!" she shouted back, looking so much like her mother that Rose was amazed James hadn't admitted defeat already. "You're not my bodyguard and I don't _need _protecting from Ben. He's a really nice guy!"

"He's a really endangered species," muttered James under his breath, just loud enough for his sister to hear.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that I think me and Jacobs need to have a little chat about things before I leave here, that's all."

Lily stamped her foot, her face blazing. "Don't you dare James! You leave Ben alone! I swear on Dumbledore that if you ruin this for me I'll _never_ forgive you!"

James looked around at the rest of his family for support. "You don't agree with this, do you?" he demanded of Fred.

"Ugh, keep me out of this mate. I've already got a sister."

"What about you?" said James, pointing at Hugo, who made a face. "Or you, Rose? You know, you should be more like Rose, Lils – she never does anything stupid like this!"

Lily spun around to look at Rose, and for a half a second it seemed as though she was going to speak. Rose stared back, a horrible feeling spreading within her that her younger cousin knew the truth…it was the way Lily was looking at her, as though desperate to say something but biting her tongue at the last second. Her eyes were shining, and she stared at Rose for far too long, before turning away.

"Whatever," she said with a sniff. "Come on Hugo, let's go and play in your room. And you stay away from Ben, you hear me James!"

Together the two of them marched up into the boys' dormitories, and Rose let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Surely, she was just imagining things. Lily couldn't know, there was no way…she swallowed guiltily, and returned her eyes to her book.

Thankfully, none of her family appeared to have noticed the strange exchange they had shared. James was too busy complaining about his little sister and planning all the ways he could intimidate Jacobs into staying away from her. He and Fred put their heads together, discussing which of a predawn dungbomb attack or a Peeves ambush in the corridor would be more effective.

"You guys," said Dom sternly. "Don't do anything to him. You heard what Lily said – you know she'd never forgive you. And Jacobs is a nice guy."

"I've never liked him," said James at once. "Always had that _look _about him, know what I mean?" Fred nodded in agreement.

"You mean the look that he might one day be attracted to your little sister?" asked Dom sarcastically.

"Exactly."

"Oh I give up, you two are a lost cause!" Dom threw her hands in the air, before her attention was caught by something at the window. "Hey…isn't that Victoire's owl?"

Rose looked over to the window, where there was indeed a snowy white owl tapping on the glass. "Er…"

"It is! Ooh, a letter. I wonder if it's about the wedding?"

Dom hurried over to the window and opened it. Rose watched as she untied the scroll attached to the bird's leg and spread it flat, her eyes scanning quickly down the page.

"They've set a date," she announced excitedly after a moment. "July 15th."

"That's so soon," muttered Rose distractedly. It was hard to believe the much talked about wedding was finally going to be happening for real.

"Tell me about it," groaned Dominique. "And look, they've even sent us our invitations," she gave a squeal and hurried back to the couches, the letter clutched against her chest. "There's one for you, Fred, and for you, James, and…hey there's even one for you Jack."

"Family friends," he said with a shrug, taking it off Dom with a grin. "Thanks."

"There's two for Lily and Hugo, two for Lorcan and Lysander, and…" Dom frowned as she looked down at the names. "Oh wow, I forgot Malfoy was invited."

James' head jerked up. "Huh?"

"To the wedding. See, Vic's sent an invitation for Albus, and one for Malfoy."

"Why would Malfoy be invited?" asked Fred darkly.

"Cause he's Teddy's cousin, silly," said Dom. "It would be rude not to invite him."

"Do you think his parents will come?"

"I dunno. Probably."

"That'd be way too weird," said James, scratching his chin with the end of his quill. "Can you imagine our parents and Malfoy's parents in the same room? The forced conversation, the unmentionable topics…" he trailed off, a far-away look in his eyes.

"I don't think Dad would stay in the same room as Draco Malfoy," said Fred. "He still can barely bring himself to say his name."

His words seemed to cut deep into Rose's insides. She cleared her throat and tried to focus back on her book, but she couldn't block out what he was saying.

"… And I'm amazed Uncle Bill's okay with it. I mean, it's cause of Malfoy that he's, you know…"

"That's not fair," Rose found herself saying. "He was forced to do that by Voldemort. It wasn't his fault."

Fred stared at her. "He still opened the portal that let the Death Eaters in, though."

"Yeah," agreed James. "There's no way I'd _ever _side with Death Eaters, no matter what I was threatened with. I'd rather die."

"It's not always that easy," said Rose quietly, staring into the flames of the common room fire. "There's so much pressure. The expectation…you have no idea what it's like…." she realised she was drawing attention to herself and coughed. "Besides, it was so long ago. Surely that should all be forgiven now."

"You've changed your tune," remarked James, sounding distinctly unimpressed. "Since when do you defend the Malfoys?"

"I still don't think he should come," said Fred adamantly. "Doesn't matter how long ago it was, some things are too terrible to be forgiven. My dad's twin doesn't get a second chance, why should Malfoy?"

They were silent for a while before Dom crinkled her nose. "Well, the invitations are here anyway, and it's Teddy and Victoire's decision so I think we should try and support it." She looked at Rose imploringly. "Would you be able to give Al and Malfoy theirs?"

"Can't you?" she asked desperately. The thought of even confronting either of them made her feel sick, let alone with something as sensitive as a wedding invitation. Let alone with Fred's words echoing in her head.

"You're heaps closer with them than me," Dom brushed her off. "And you guys all have Potions together, just give it to them then. Here's yours, by the way."

She handed Rose her invitation. It was a prettily designed card that showed far more of Victoire's influence than Teddy's. Butterflies flitted across the paper and the elegant script unfurled then disappeared on endless repeat. The bottom half of the invitation was dedicated to a smiling, waving picture of Teddy and Victoire. Rose had to admit they made a very cute couple. But she couldn't muster any excitement for the upcoming event, especially not after listening to her cousins' talk about the Malfoys.

"The bridesmaid gowns are going to be lavender," continued Dom, still reading the letter. "I don't know about that. What do you think Rose? I don't think lavender suits me _at all._"

The boys groaned at the change in topic and returned to their study, and Rose was left to assuage her cousin's insecurities by herself, all the while secretly trying to squash her own.

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><p>She pushed the invitations tentatively onto Albus' desk the next Monday afternoon as soon as they had taken their seats for double Potions. She hadn't said more than a few words to him since their conversation on the Quidditch pitch a fortnight ago, and though he remained frosty and hostile outwardly, for some reason she sensed that he had forgiven her. There wasn't anything specific that he had done to make her feel that way; it was more just a feeling she got that his anger had decreased to something more akin to mild resentment. She couldn't say the same for his attitude toward Scorpius however. Despite the fact that they still sat next to each other in class, Rose didn't think she had ever seen more hostility radiating between two people as she did between them. She longed to get Scorpius alone and talk to him about it, but at the same time she didn't want to make things worse between him and Albus; she had no doubt her cousin was keeping an eye on the Marauders' Map to make sure they weren't sneaking off together anymore.<p>

"What's this?" he asked suspiciously when she nudged the two cards in his direction, before taking note of the writing on the front. "Oh, the wedding. I forgot all about it. Thanks."

"It's in July," she said, rather superfluously since the dates were on the invitations. "There's – there's one for Scorpius as well, if you could – "

Without a word and keeping his eyes fixed on the blackboard, Al slid one of the invitations over to his left. Scorpius picked up the card, glanced at it impassively, then slipped it into his bag, also without saying anything.

Rose sighed, but didn't attempt to intervene. What could she say? She was fairly certain she wasn't the person to mend things between them, and she had done more than enough damage already.

By the end of class her head was so full of potion fumes and teenage angst that she desperately needed fresh air and solitude to clear her head. She was out the door as soon as the bell rang, ignoring both Albus and Scorpius, and had raced up the stairs to the Entrance Hall before half the class were even out of their seats. Normally, she would have gone to the library and immersed herself in a good book to relieve her worries, but it was a Monday and the library still felt uncomfortable on those afternoons. Instead she opted for a quick, brisk stroll around the Hogwarts grounds – it was a beautiful day out and the good air was exactly what she needed. She spotted Hagrid dragging large bundles of kindling between his hut and the Forbidden Forest, and waved to him. He had indeed lost weight. Rose vowed to go and talk to him when he wasn't so busy working.

By the time the last class of the day was finished, Rose had done four peaceful, refreshing rounds of the Lake. She had worked up a light sheen of sweat, her cheeks were red, and her rather frizzy hair was pulled back from her face into a chaotic bun on the top of her head. And she felt better than she had in weeks.

With a sigh, she plonked down beneath the shade of a tree (specifically _not _the oak tree) and took several deep, calming breaths. Outside in the sunshine, with the Giant Squid swimming laps in front of her and a lazy hum in the air, it was hard to dwell too much on the negative aspects of the last few months. _If only everyone could sit beside the lake together on a summer's day,_ she thought dreamily. _Then no one would argue and everything would be fine…_

Rose lay back against the grass and closed her eyes, comforted by the thought that if she could just get her family to have a picnic at Hogwarts then she would end up with Scorpius after all. She began to hum a tune, feeling the tension and stresses of the year begin to seep out of her. Merlin had she needed this.

"Hey stranger."

She smiled at the familiar voice, before sitting up slowly. Of all the people that could have come and found her, Lorcan had to be the only one she actually felt like tolerating right now.

"Hi."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Course not," she patted the grass beside her. "Come, sit."

He sat and stretched his long legs out with a sound of relief. He was as tall and gangly as ever, his legs and arms still seeming too long for his body. His dark blonde hair had grown out somewhat now, to almost fall into his eyes, and his face had lost most of its youthful chubbiness to give him a more mature, grown up look. Rose gave him a grin as he settled himself beside her.

"Where have you come from?" She asked, lying down again and feeling the sun warm the lower half of her body where the shade from the tree's branches ended. It was an incredibly comfortable feeling.

"Divination."

"Ah, always my favourite subject," she joked. In truth she had found Divination to be a mildly frustrating, at times somewhat amusing and often downright boring subject. It was one of the few classes she hadn't regretted having to drop at the end of third year.

"Yeah," said Lorcan, lying back as well and stretching his arms above his head. "Firenze told me I have an unexpected challenge awaiting me. He says next year may define me but that 'impressions can be deceiving.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lorcan shrugged. "He also said 'absence can create many things."

"What absence?"

"Dunno."

"You didn't ask?"

He gave her a patronizing look. "You can't just _ask _a Centaur, Rose. He either tells you or he doesn't."

"Oh. I guess that's why I was never any good at Divination."

He cracked a smile, the motion transforming his features and making him seem a lot younger. "Mum says Divination's something that you've either got or you haven't. It's not something you can learn. Unless your brain gets infested with wriggling gnackspurs, that is – they can cause temporary visions and hallucinations that many people mistake for the Inner Eye. Before they kill you."

Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "Uh…so how is your mother?"

"Great, actually. Have you read the latest edition of _The Quibbler_?"

"Umm, no." _The Quibbler _was not something that was in common circulation around the Gryffindor common room, and she had never subscribed herself. Not that she would ever admit that to Lorcan. "Why?"

"Mum had a feature article in it on South African Zigamees."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she went there for three months on a study tour earlier this year, and made some really fascinating discoveries regarding their nocturnal migration patterns and matriarchal family structure…"

It was nice to sit and listen to Lorcan talk animatedly about his mother's discoveries concerning South African Ziggamees. Rose was conscious of the fact that he hadn't asked her to explain about Charlie or Hogsmeade or Scorpius, even though she knew he was probably burning with curiosity about it all. His tactfulness was a welcome relief, especially given how judgmental most of her fellow students had been. Rose wanted to show her appreciation to him for not asking, but she also knew she would embarrass him if she brought it up. She couldn't help but think that Lorcan knew she was looking for a distraction, and had deliberately started a discussion about _The Quibbler _to provide it for her.

"…And the alpha female lays over one thousand eggs a week during breeding season," continued Lorcan conversationally. "But the survival rate is less than a quarter. Firstly, because the alpha female examines each offspring as they're born, and eats all those that she considers undesirable, which is about half…"

Rose twisted her head to look at him. He had his eyes closed, and didn't seem to think there was anything particularly unusual about what he had just said.

"…and the other quarter die of natural causes, like the cold or competition for food or being attacked by Luggerknockers."

"Luggerknockers?"

"The Luggerknockers and the Ziggamees are each other's mortal enemy," explained Lorcan. "They occupy different territory normally, but Mum reckons she identified three serious wars that were ongoing between them while she was over in South Africa."

Rose wasn't sure whether to laugh or simply nod. "Who's winning?" she asked at last.

"Ah, it's hard to say…"

They lay in companionable silence for a while, before Lorcan turned on his side to face her. "What lesson did you have?"

She blinked, her thoughts returning belatedly to the emotionally troubled Potions classroom that she had escaped from an hour or so earlier. "Potions."

"Ah, fun."

This was it, she thought. She could tell from his tone that the questions were coming. He would ask her about Albus, then Scorpius, and then she would be forced to go through the whole sorry saga all over again. She waited reluctantly for him to begin his questions, but nothing was forthcoming.

"You know, I've always wondered what Professor Cauldrish would make of the Rotfang Conspiracy," mused Lorcan idly.

She turned such a dazzling smile on him at that moment that he looked genuinely surprised.

"What?"

"Nothing. What's the Rotfang Conspiracy again? I've forgotten."

* * *

><p>They lazed away another half hour, before Rose decided that she had better go back and get at least <em>some<em> studying done before dinner. Reluctantly, she pulled herself up, and she and Lorcan meandered slowly back up to the castle. The pleasant lightness of the afternoon grew dimmer and dimmer as she got closer to the Entrance Hall, as though the dark shadow that Hogwarts cast was somehow swallowing her soul. She shook her head, annoyed at her own thoughts, but the feeling was inescapable.

"I have to go down to the kitchens," said Lorcan once they were inside. He had stopped talking halfway up the grassy slope and now seemed rather pensive.

She looked at him curiously. "What for? Dinner's only an hour or so away."

"Yeah…" he fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. "But I promised Lysander I'd pick him up something when I came back."

"You shouldn't break the rules for him you know," she said sternly. "And he shouldn't be asking you to break them. Can't he come and get them himself if he wants them that badly?"

Lorcan shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Whatever," she said, not wanting to get drawn into a conversation on the twins' troubled relationship. A sudden thought struck her. "Are you going to the Quidditch this weekend?"

He hesitated. "Nah…who would I go with?"

"Well I'll probably be going," she said. There'd be no way her brother or cousins would forgive her if she missed the game in which they won the Cup. "And Louis will be there."

He looked at her blankly.

"Louis Weasley," she said. "My cousin. He's in Ravenclaw, two years below you."

His expression cleared. "Oh, yeah I know him. I've never spoken to him."

"You've _never _spoken to him?" she gaped at him incredulously. "But you've been in the same dormitories for four years. Surely you must have said hello a few times at least."

"Mmm…nope," he shook his head. "Not a single word."

"Why not?"

Lorcan gave her one of those painfully honest stares that made her squirm. "He's too cool for me."

"What? No he's not."

"Yes he is," said Lorcan, his voice holding no judgment, almost as if he were expressing an opinion on the weather. "Far too cool."

"That's ridiculous."

"I'd better go," said Lorcan, his eyes drifting to the huge magical clock hanging high above their heads. "Before it gets too busy in the kitchens for the House Elves to make extra food."

"Right," she said, still too flustered about Louis to really pay attention.

"Nice to see you again Rose." Lorcan leant forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek, a friendly, platonic kiss, before his attention was caught by something behind her. "Hi, Scorpius." He waved briefly over her shoulder, then turned and ambled away.

His last words took a moment to register in her brain. When they did, Rose spun around, almost slipping on the smooth marble floor in her haste. Sure enough, Scorpius was standing at the top of the stairs that led down to the Slytherin common rooms, dressed in his quidditch robes. His expression was passive and remote, and she couldn't help but squirm in response. She wanted to run to him, to shake him and tell him he was stupid, then snog him senseless and afterwards curl up in his arms for hours on end. She wanted to talk to him about Albus, and about them…if there ever had been a 'them' to start with, that was. Instead she just stood there, staring at him.

Finally, she forced herself to speak. "Scorpius, I – "

But he shook his head, silencing her instantly. Then, without saying anything, he turned and walked back down the stairs.

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><p><strong>AN: *laughs evilly* Yay, filler! But there was some important stuff going on in this chapter, and I promise more Scorose is just around the corner... **

**Reviews make me write faster. That's all you really need to know. And thanks to all who take the time to do so. :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Can you believe this story is over 100,000 words now? Yikes! And it ain't finished yet, either :P**

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><p><em>Sixth Year, Part Twenty-Two<em>

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><p>"GO GRYFFINDOR!"<p>

Dom sat back down, her cheeks pink and her eyes blazing, and turned a cheeky smile to Rose. "You know, this whole Quidditch thing isn't as bad as I thought."

Rose laughed. She was sitting in her usual seat high up in the stands, accompanied by Dom, Lorcan and Louis. They were sandwiched in between a group of particularly raucous Gryffindor supporters, and Dom had been increasingly chiming in with their boisterous applause as the game drew on.

It had been a rather one-sided affair so far. Ravenclaw were good, but the Gryffindor Chasers worked as a seamless unit and often appeared to read each other's mind. Lily in particular flew rings around her much older opponent, and had scored half of Gryffindor's goals herself. Rose loved watching her younger cousin fly – there was something so beautiful and graceful about it, a perfect combination of her parents' two differing styles.

Ravenclaw weren't going down without a fight though. Their captain Tom Filmouth scored and the mass of blue on Rose's other side rose as one, their loud cheers echoing around the pitch. Louis joined in, his normally perfect features tight with nervous tension. Lorcan, on the other hand, hardly seemed to notice that a game was being played. He had his eyes on the clouds skimming high above their heads.

"Watcha looking at?" she asked him, as soon as the noise of the crowd had died away.

"Leprechauns," he said, pointing at an assembly of small puffy clouds. "Can't you see them?"

"Uh…"

"Hey, where's Al?" asked Dom abruptly, saving Rose from having to find a reply. "Why isn't he sitting with us?"

She shrugged. "Is he even here? I haven't seen him." Truth be told, she had been desperately trying to stop herself from looking around at the crowd, lest she find herself staring into a pair of familiar grey eyes. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Scorpius – quite the opposite in fact. But he had been studiously avoiding her for the past few weeks and, besides their brief encounter in the Entrance Hall the previous Monday, hadn't given any acknowledgment of her existence. Since he and Albus seemed to remain on unspeaking terms, she assumed that things were still on hold with them for the foreseeable future. And she didn't want to be the one to try and force him to speak to her again. She would respect his wishes and keep her distance. No matter how much it hurt.

"Yes he is," answered Louis without taking his eyes off the game in front of him. "Saw him before. Over with a bunch of snakes."

"He means Slytherins," added Lorcan redundantly, to which Louis rolled his eyes.

"Oh," pouted Dom. "Well I guess he's too cool to come and sit with us…"

"He wouldn't want to sit with a crowd of Gryffindors," Rose told her. "Especially since we're winning."

Dom seemed slightly mollified by that explanation.

"YES!" shouted Louis, jumping up suddenly as Ravenclaw scored another goal. "Go you beauties! Again! Again!"

"I wonder if the Seekers will crash into the stands, like they did last time," said Lorcan mildly. Rose looked at him in surprise.

"You heard about that?"

"Sure. There was a debate in the Ravenclaw common rooms afterwards as to whether Charles made the right decision."

It took her a moment to realise he was talking about Charlie. "Oh. And what conclusion did you guys come to?"

Lorcan's reply was drowned out by the crowd as Gryffindor scored another goal.

"What?"

"We never reached a consensus!" Lorcan yelled back. "But most of us thought it was the right thing to do."

"YES!" roared Louis again, and their conversation was forced to another stop.

Rose tried to pay attention to the game, but her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. After the last goal Gryffindor were fifty points up, enough to win but not if the Ravenclaw Seeker caught the Snitch. Rose didn't think that was likely. James was an expert Seeker – he would probably end up playing professionally, along with his little sister. He had only lost once that year, to Scorpius Malfoy in the first match back. Rose hadn't gone to that game, but now she wished she had. It must have been an amazing race.

"There's Al," said Dom suddenly, pointing away to their left, where there was indeed a small group of Slytherins bunched together, looking entirely out of place amongst the crimson and blue. Albus was sitting with Nott and Zabini and a couple of other guys Rose didn't know. "Malfoy's not with him. Are they still fighting?"

"Guess so," mumbled Rose.

"It's weird," mused Dom. "They've always been like twins. Doesn't seem right to see one without the other anymore."

The match continued, and Ravenclaw pegged another goal back after Fred gave away a foul against one of the Ravenclaw Chasers. Hugo made up for it moments later with a well directed Bludger to disrupt the Ravenclaw formation, and Lily capitalised on the mistake by scoring again. There had been no movement from either Seeker – the Snitch was still hovering elusively out of sight.

Despite herself, Rose found her eyes scanning the crowd. She told herself it was only because she was bored, but deep down she knew what she was looking for. There was no way Scorpius would miss a Quidditch match, and certainly not the deciding game of the season. No, he would be there somewhere…

"And that's another goal for Simon Lee from Ravenclaw," yelled McLaggen over the loud cheers. "160 plays 120, Gryffindor up by 40 points."

"I've always liked Simon," said Lorcan idly. "He reads _The Quibbler _sometimes."

Rose could see Charlie, sitting with a bunch of Ravenclaw friends. He was looking much better than the last time she had seen him. By his side was Simoly Howard, a Hufflepuff, and they seemed to be talking animatedly about something. As she watched, Charlie looked across the grounds and caught her eye briefly. He nodded once, then returned his attention to the game.

The Gryffindor fans on their right were up in arms, about what Rose wasn't quite sure. She hadn't been paying enough attention, but it appeared that someone on the Ravenclaw team had fouled a Gryffindor player. Madam Howler had blown her whistle and was in the process of reprimanding one of their Beaters. There was going to be a penalty.

She forced herself to watch as Cameron Finnigan took the penalty for Gryffindor. He aimed well, but the Ravenclaw Keeper Goldman managed to deflect it at the last second. As soon as it was over, her eyes returned to the crowd. Now that she had started looking she couldn't seem to stop.

Practically the entire school had turned up to watch this match. There would be one incredible party afterwards, no matter who won.

"FILMOUTH SCORES!" roared McLaggen. Louis jumped to his feet, spilling butterbeer all over Dom, who screamed at him in response. "RAVENCLAW TRAIL BY ONLY THIRTY POINTS!"

"Come on Gryffindor!" yelled Dom, pushing Louis back into his seat in her enthusiasm.

Lorcan gave Rose a bemused look, and opened his mouth to say something to her. But it was far too loud for her to hear. She crinkled her nose apologetically at him.

It was as she was looking away from Lorcan that she saw him. He had his hood up, covering his gleaming blonde hair, which was probably why it had taken her so long to find him. Flora Bletchley was sitting sulkily at his side, and Rose felt a familiar pang of resentment when she saw her. The two of them were on the fringe of the Slytherin crowd, a fair distance from Albus but still close enough to be counted as Slytherins rather than neutrals.

"Oh look look look!" exclaimed Dom suddenly, and she grabbed Rose's arm in a painful grip. "They've seen it! They've seen the Snitch!"

Scorpius had his eyes on the play, following the two Seekers as they raced through the air. It was too loud to think, what with the screaming of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw supporters, and the roar of McLaggen's voice.

"Come on James!" screamed Dom. "You can do it!"

He looked at her then, almost as if he had known she was watching him. Their eyes locked, and before she could stop herself Rose felt her expression conveying all the hurt and uncertainty and longing that was within her. Her doubts as to whether he was genuine, her insecurity, her confusion about why he was staying away…she felt it pouring out, saw him recoil with the shock of what he read in her eyes. Scorpius made a sudden movement, as though to stand up, before stopping himself and shaking his head. His lips mouthed something, but she couldn't read the words from such a distance.

Then it was chaos and a blur of celebration: a huge cheer erupting, the entire school leaping to their feet; Dom grabbing her and wrenching her up, screaming and crying; a thousand crimson and gold flags waving in the air; Louis cursing and storming, throwing his cup away in disgust; the Gryffindor players converging on James in the air, their faces ecstatic, hugging and congratulating each other; Fred and Hugo high-fiving, Lily embracing her brother with all her might…James with his arm held aloft, the struggling golden ball clenched in his fist…the roar of the crowd in response…

"We did it!" sobbed Dom, still jumping up and down, her blonde curls bouncing. "_He _did it! _We_ did it…We _won_!"

Rose didn't have to force the smile on her face, not really. She was glad Gryffindor had won, glad for her House and glad for her family. She grinned across at Lorcan, who was looking utterly bemused by the proceedings. Then she looked back over the stands; but in the bedlam and chaos of the crowd, it was impossible to find Scorpius again.

* * *

><p>The party that was held in the Gryffindor common rooms that night was legendary. Rose wasn't sure who exactly had smuggled in the alcohol, nor who had arranged for all the food to be brought up from the kitchens, or the mounds of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes merchandise…all she knew was that for this night, it didn't look as though she was going to be exercising her Prefect duties very diligently, if at all.<p>

Though it was primarily a Gryffindor party, there were plenty of students from other houses there. Even some Ravenclaws, gracious in defeat, had made an appearance, though not any of the Quidditch players themselves. There were plenty of Hufflepuffs, and even a smattering of Slytherins. Including Albus.

"Rose!" he lurched toward her, and she recognised instantly that he was drunk. Alarm filled her at the thought of what he might say.

"Uh, hi."

"Been wanting to talk to you." Albus took another swig of his Firewhiskey and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Bout…y'know…"

"Yeah?" Rose looked around surreptitiously to see where the rest of her family was. James and Fred were in the centre of a crowd of people, pulling pranks and generally making fun of each other. Hugo hovered nearby, watching them reverently. Lily was nowhere to be seen, and she already knew where Dom was – she'd left with a guy several minutes ago, and had not returned.

"Yeah," said Albus, his voice right in her ear. "Been meaning to say – "

"I don't know if now is the right time," she said desperately, trying unsuccessfully to disentangle herself from him. "You're drunk, Albus. Let's talk about this tomorrow."

"No, wanna talk about it now." Her cousin's eyes flashed and she knew she wouldn't be able to shake him off.

"Okay, okay let's just sit down," she guided them over to a pair of armchairs. Al sank into one of them gratefully, before leaning towards her.

"Listen," he said, and despite the alcohol he suddenly seemed very lucid. "About Scorpius…"

"Al…" she began warily.

"No, listen," he said firmly. "I think…I need to apologise."

She stared at him, not sure whether she had misheard him over the loud music.

"I mean it," he said. "I've been a prat. I shouldn't have said all those horrible things. I just…can't _believe _we lost the Quidditch." He slammed his fist into the arm of his chair with a rueful expression.

She smiled weakly. "Well, there's always next year."

"Yeah." Al took another sip of his drink and grimaced. "But seriously, you and Scorpius…what's up with that?"

"Beats me."

"I guess I was just…" Al puffed his cheeks out and ran a hand through his hair, as though searching for words. "_Jealous, _you know?"

"Jealous?" she blinked at him in surprise, not sure whether it was the alcohol talking or whether he was being serious. "Of what?"

"Of you. And him. My two best friends," he stared at her earnestly. "I felt like I was being left behind…like I'd missed the boat, and you two'd gone on somewhere without me. Does that sound stupid?"

She thought about this_. _"I suppose not."

"I just don't want things to change, when they're so good the way they are, y'know?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. And I never wanted to come between the two of you. It was…the last thing on my mind." She looked at him beseechingly, and he gave her a strained smile.

"So we're cool now?"

"Oh, Al – "

"Don't get soppy on me Rosie," he said threateningly, holding up a hand to stave off her embrace. "I'm not drunk enough yet."

She folded her arms. "Fine. You're a huge prat and I'm really angry at you for stuffing things up between me and Scorpius. Is that better?"

He grimaced. "Not really…"

Over the other side of the room, there was a loud crack and Fred disappeared, a chestnut coloured ferret appearing moments later where he had previously been. The crowd cheered as James picked the creature up and lifted it high above his head.

"Just tell me one thing," said Albus, and her eyes snapped back to his. He had a very serious expression on his face. "Do you love him?"

"I…" she blushed and looked down at her hands, but there was no avoiding Albus' question. Drat it, she knew she should have made a run for the library when she had the chance.

"Beats me how you were put in Gryffindor," said her cousin abruptly. "You don't have any guts at all."

"That's not true," she denied, stung by his criticism.

"Oh isn't it?"

"No," she retorted. "After all, if I wasn't a Gryffindor, I probably never would have given Scorpius the time of day to begin with."

Albus looked at her blankly. "How d'you figure?"

"Well," she explained carefully. "If I was a Ravenclaw, I would have thought about it reasonably and realised what a bad idea it was. And if I was a Hufflepuff I would've been too loyal to my family to even consider it. And…" she chewed her lip. "If I was a Slytherin I would've known there was nothing in it for me besides grief and worry, so…it was only cause I'm a Gryffindor that I'm so courageous." She winced at her own bad reasoning.

He raised an eyebrow sceptically. "There's nothing courageous about sneaking around with someone in secret, Rose."

She flushed. He was probably right, curse him. "So you think I should tell the others?"

"I think you have to," said Al firmly. "If you're serious about this then I think it's time to stop with the secrets and open up about it."

The very thought made her palms sweaty and her heart speed up, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless. "What do you think they'll all say when they find out?"

Albus chuckled darkly. "I think they'll be fuming, raging, _inconceivably_ mad. I think Uncle Ron will break the record for how red a human face can actually become. I think James and Fred will plot revenge and I think Scorpius will probably have to put up with being terrorised by them for at least the whole of next year. I think Draco Malfoy will probably contemplate disowning his own son, and I can't even _begin _to imagine what your hypothetical wedding would be like…"

Rose wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. "Is there more?" she asked drily once he'd trailed off.

"Oh plenty," said Albus, downing the rest of his drink. "But I think I've underestimated the two of you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Al gave her a piercing look. "I told Scorpius that the only way we'd ever become mates again was if he promised not to see you anymore – "

"_Al!_" she stared at him, outraged, and was halfway out of her chair when he held up a hand to stop her.

"But he refused."

She slumped back in her seat again. "What?"

"He refused," repeated Albus. "He said that even though I was his best friend and he wanted our fight to be over, he couldn't promise not to see you again because he's in love with you."

A long silence greeted his words. Rose gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

"Of course," continued Albus with a smirk. "He also made me promise under pain of death not to repeat those words to you, but I figured he owed me one and – hey, where are you going?"

She had jumped up, her heart hammering, her brain still working to take in what he was saying. "I – I have to find him," she stammered, looking wildly around the crowd as though expecting him to be standing nearby just waiting.

"He's not here," said Albus, standing up as well. "But if you stop and let me finish, I _might_ be kind enough to tell you where he is."

With a huge effort of will, Rose forced her eyes to stop scanning and focused back on Albus instead. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to hit him or hug him. "Go on," she ground out.

"Look," he said. "I've never known Scorpius to hold fast to a girl like he has with you. Most of the time he's never shown much attachment and if he does it doesn't last long. I guess that's why I was so worried, because I don't want to see you get hurt…but I think he's earned a chance to prove me wrong."

Rose was nodding so fast and hard her head was starting to hurt.

"You never answered my question, though," said Albus.

"What question?"

"Do you love him?"

The noise of the party around them seemed to fade into the background. Rose stared at her cousin and found herself smiling hugely. "I – I think I do…I mean, I – yes."

"Well what are you hanging around here for then?" shouted Al. "Go on, go, get lost!"

She stopped and gave him a look. "You haven't told me where he is."

Her cousin scratched his head in bemusement. "Oh, right." He fished around in his pocket and pulled out the Marauder's Map, before muttering a few words over it with his wand. Rose watched as the familiar ink diagram of Hogwarts spread upon the parchment. "Let's see…" he mumbled, scanning the page closely. "Mmm…aha!" He looked up at her and grinned.

"Tell me!" she practically whined.

He leant forward and whispered the answer in her ear.

"Thank you, oh thank you!" she squealed, throwing her arms briefly around his neck and hugging him tightly.

He pulled back with a sentimental expression on his face. "I can't believe this is really happening. You and Scorpius, I mean…"

"You're the best, Al."

"I think I need another drink," he muttered, before pushing her off in the direction of the portrait hole. "Now go."

Rose didn't need telling twice.

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><p>The climb to the Astronomy Tower left her out of breath, but this time she didn't pause on the stairs to recover her composure. Instead, she kept on going, pouring out onto the landing with her cheeks flushed and her eyes blazing. Despite the fact that she hadn't drunk anything she still felt giddy and unsteady.<p>

"Scorpius!"

He turned, and Rose just had time to glimpse the look of acute surprise on his face before she had flung herself into his arms, heedless of the consequences or of his reaction. His warmth hit her instantly, and she made a sound of contentment at the feeling of it washing through her.

"Rose? What – " his voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you," she said, talking into his chest rather than pulling away. "I talked to Albus and – "

He stiffened. "You talked to Al?"

"Yeah."

There was a long pause. "And?"

She leant back just enough to look up at him, wondering how best to phrase what her cousin had told her.

Before she could think what to say, one side of Scorpius' mouth hitched into the ghost of a smile. "You're smiling," he said softly, lifting his hand and tweaking the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

"Am I?" She felt her grin stretch wider in response.

"Yeah. I take it that means Al's speech was good?" He seemed relaxed but she could feel the tension in his arms and shoulders.

"Very good," she whispered, leaning into him again. He exhaled loudly.

"And…could you elaborate on that a little?" He hesitated before slowly curling one of his arms around her waist, where it lay comfortably snug. "Details, perhaps?"

She bit her bottom lip and tried to fight back her blush. No way could she tell him what Albus had really said. '_Because he's in love with you.' _No, she couldn't do it even if she wanted to.

"Rose?" He pulled back a little and she saw the look of unease that crossed his features.

"It was long and poetic," she said quickly, hoping to shrug it off. "But suffice to say I think he has, somewhat begrudgingly, accepted our…us," she amended awkwardly.

"Our us?" he smirked.

"Sod off." She punched him half-heartedly in the chest. He didn't even wince.

"Getting violent Weasley?" he leaned in close to her. "We can't have that."

"Oh can't we?"

He grabbed her shoulders and twisted her suddenly so that she was pinned between his body and the balustrade.

"I saw you at the Quidditch today," he practically growled.

"I saw you too."

"With Scamander."

"With Bletchley," she retorted.

Scorpius sighed. "I already told you that there's nothing going on there."

"And _I_ already toldyou that Lorcan is gay," she snapped back, annoyed that he had chosen to ruin a perfectly romantic moment. Shouldn't he have been jumping for joy that his best friend had condoned his relationship with her? Hadn't that been the sole reason he was staying away in the first place?

His frown deepened and he brought his mouth close to hers. "He seemed pretty friendly the other night in the Entrance Hall."

"G-A-Y-" she continued as though she hadn't heard him. "As in, he bats for the other team. As in, he likes guys. As in, he's just my friend."

He stared at her for a long time before relenting with a roll of his eyes. "Whatever you tell yourself."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." He leant in to kiss her but she turned her face to the side, now thoroughly disgruntled.

"What are you doing up here anyway?" she asked grumpily.

"Brooding."

"About what?"

"What do you think?"

This placated her a little, and she brought her eyes back to his. There were so many questions, so many issues to discuss, but for some reason she couldn't seem to care about any of them. _Because he's in love with you. _That was all that mattered. "I've missed you," she pouted.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"What?"

"I just never thought I'd hear those words come from your mouth," he said.

"Well, I never thought I'd hear myself say them either," she curled her arms underneath his robes and around his stomach, feeling the muscles tense beneath her touch. "But there you go."

He brought his face close and rubbed her nose gently with his own, his eyes filling her vision. "I guess we should never say never…"

"Yeah…" she murmured, barely aware of what she was saying. "Never…"

He laughed, and that was when she couldn't take it anymore. Stretching up, she kissed him before he had a chance to say anything else, snatching his laughter right out of his mouth. His lips were cold from the night air, but his mouth was warm as it opened to hers. With a muffled sigh, he wrapped both his arms around her waist, pulling her into him so possessively that she felt her heart skip a beat and her knees tremble instinctively. They leaned back together against the castle wall, their kiss slow and deep and intimate in a way that made her stomach tie itself in endless knots. There was more than just lust behind their kiss, she knew. It was a declaration of love and it was painfully, achingly sweet.

They broke for air and she moaned as he started trailing kisses down her neck. "Scorpius."

He paused, his lips lingering gently on her skin, one hand stroking the ends of her hair absent-mindedly. "What?"

She flushed when she realised she had spoken aloud. "Nothing. I…just wanted to say your name."

The look he shot her was molten, liquid silver. "Rose?"

"Mmm…" she tilted her head back, the stars above her swirling in her vision.

"Nothing."

Then his mouth recaptured hers. And this time, there were no interruptions.

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><p><strong>AN: naaww, cho chweet, amirite? Haha, I could end the story here, on a happy note, with rainbows and sunshine...but cause I'm sadistic and evil and I bathe in angst in my spare time, Im'a keep it rolling. Oh there's more to come my pretties. So much more...*laughs evilly*...**

**Ahem, where was I? Oh yeah, my exams are a-coming (cue ominous music). Means updating will be sparser. But ya never know, next chapter's almost finished, if I get enough encouragement I might just up and finish it instead of studying (nudge nudge, wink, unsubtle prod).**

**I cherish each and every review I receive :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Chapter Thirty, yayness! Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)**

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><p><em>Sixth Year, Part Twenty-Three<em>

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><p>After that exams exploded on them with the force of a stampede of hippogriffs. Rose did little else beside bury her head in books, as the euphoria of Gryffindor's victory in the Quidditch faded into the background and was replaced by the slowly growing nervous tension that she had long ago associated with upcoming finals.<p>

She didn't get much of a chance to see Scorpius. Despite Quidditch being over, studying and revision had taken up their extra free time, and since their common rooms were located at opposite ends of the castle, it wasn't practical to meet very often. Particularly as she had yet to tell the rest of her family about their relationship. It was one of those awkward conversations that she had no idea how to initiate.

Rose knew she had to tell Dom. But now that she had made a decision on moving forward and not keeping secrets, her best friend was surprisingly hard to track down. It seemed that she had taken a fancy to the boy who had kept her occupied on the night of the Gryffindor party. He was a seventh-year Hufflepuff, a tall and thick-set boy by the name of Jeb. Rose had never paid close attention to him, but the little that she had didn't impress her all that much. He seemed to be the stock standard, garden variety of teenage male, a man of few words and much testosterone. How genuine Dom's affections were, or how much was simply a ruse to distract her from Calvin, it was hard to tell.

Rose contemplated her dilemma that night over dinner. She had brought a book down with her to keep studying through meals, but even she couldn't muster the energy to read any more on vanishing spells that night. Her eyes kept flicking inadvertently to the Slytherin table, despite her best efforts to focus on the conversation around her. Scorpius was sitting next to Albus and the two were conversing in low voices, along with their fellow sixth year Hector Nott. Rose was glad to see they were acting relatively normal again. Once or twice Scorpius looked up and gave her a smirk that made her heart skip a beat and the colour rise to her cheeks.

"And Jeb has the most _amazing _biceps I've ever seen," Dom prattled on beside her, oblivious that Rose wasn't really paying attention. At least Daisy and Peoria were listening raptly, their eyes wide with the prospect of gossip. "Like, I know he doesn't play Quidditch, so you wouldn't expect it, right? But he must work out _all _the _time, _and I don't know what magic powders he's been taking, but they sure are working, know what I mean?" Dom winked and tossed her hair over one shoulder with a very high pitched giggle. Daisy was nodding so fast her pigtails were practically jumping off her shoulders.

Rose tore her eyes away from Scorpius and focused on her cousin. "Does he have _amazing _gluteus maximi as well?"

Dom blinked at her in non comprehension. "Huh?"

"What about his rectus abdominis?" smirked Rose, unable to resist winding her friend up. "Is that simply _amazing_, like the rest of him?"

Her cousin gave her an annoyed look. "Very funny Rose."

"No, honestly, I'm just _so_ curious."

Dom gave her a challenging look. "Well, if you must know, then _yes, _it is_._"

Peoria snorted ungracefully into her haggis.

"Well I think it's great that Dom's going out with such a hunk," declared Daisy, reaching over and squeezing the hand of her own boy-of-the-moment Cam Finnigan. "I mean, it sure beats moping around over that other guy, what was his – " she broke off at the furious glare Rose was giving her and made a half-hearted attempt at ignorance. "Oh, whoops."

Dom blinked rapidly, and for a split second the façade of happiness slipped off her face and she looked hurt and bewildered. But it was only for a moment, before she smiled brightly across the table at Daisy. "What, you mean Calvin? Oh, I'm totally over him. What a _loser_ he turned out to be."

"Dom," said Rose quietly, wishing Daisy and Peoria would find something else to talk about so she and Dom could have some privacy. Her cousin looked over at her with something of a pinched expression. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Not right now," said Dom casually. "I'm talking about Jeb, and your serious talks are normally _so boring. _Anyway, Daisy, you know Jeb is like a total sports star in the Muggle world? Yeah, he plays this game called photoball and…"

Rose sighed as Dom launched into another longwinded conversation about her new boyfriend. She knew her cousin was trying to avoid mention of Calvin; no doubt she thought that was what Rose wanted to talk about.

Well, she thought determinedly, taking a large bite of shepherd's pie and chewing slowly, Dom couldn't avoid her forever. They lived in the same dormitory, for Merlin's sake, how hard could it be to get her alone?

* * *

><p>Apparently, harder than she had imagined. Rose sighed in frustration as she saw Dom walk through the common room with Daisy by her side for the fourth night in a row. The two of them had bonded mutually over their love of cute guys, and while Rose wasn't exactly jealous, she couldn't help but be annoyed at just how elusive her cousin was being. She couldn't possibly tell Dom about Scorpius with Daisy hanging around; telling her would be as good as announcing it via <em>sonorus<em> to the entire Great Hall over breakfast. Besides, she expected that Dom would take the news badly, and she wanted her cousin to be in the right frame of mind when that happened.

"Dom!" she called out, deciding to just go the direct route. Her cousin stopped her rapid-fire conversation with Daisy and looked over. Rose gestured. "Come here!"

For a second Dom hesitated, and Rose felt a pang of offence. Then her cousin laughed and came to sit by her, an unnaturally bright grin plastered on her face. "Rosie! How _are_ you?"

Rose narrowed her eyes to show what she thought of this fake affection, and Dom had the grace to look a little abashed. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, before looking pointedly at Daisy, who stood waiting to one side. "In private?"

Dom shifted uncomfortably. "Can't it wait?" she whined. "It's just…I have to finish this thing with Daisy, and then I have to meet Jeb and – "

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever."

"I'm sorry." Dom reached out a hand and placed it on Rose's arm, and for a moment she looked completely sincere. "Is it important? I can stay if you want."

It was on the tip of her tongue to say 'yes.' But for some reason Rose couldn't bring herself to do it. Dom looked so happy and carefree…perhaps it didn't matter if she didn't tell her right now? What difference did it make, really? There was no urgency to the situation; it wasn't worth upsetting her friend over. She gave her cousin a smile and shrugged. "Nah, it's okay. Go, I'll catch up with you later." _Coward. _

"Okay, we'll have a proper chat soon, I promise," Dom reached across briefly and gave her a hug, trailing the scent of strawberries across her. "See you soon!"

"Yeah, bye." Rose returned to her notes with a rueful smile. There went another opportunity down the drain.

* * *

><p>"You smell like strawberries."<p>

She looked up at Scorpius' odd comment, her brow furrowed in confusion before she remembered. "Oh yeah. Dom hugged me before, and she must have had perfume sprayed all over her. I think it rubbed off on me."

He rolled his eyes and put his quill down, before stretching one arm over her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. "I prefer your normal smell."

She burrowed into his chest, her own studying forgotten. "And what exactly is my normal smell?" she asked curiously.

"Mmm…" he appeared to think deeply about her question. "I'd have to say…Hogwarts."

She raised her eyebrows at him, not sure whether he was being serious. When he didn't offer any explanation she persisted. "Could you be a little more specific, please? I mean, Hogwarts is a vast and very multi-scented place. Are we talking Moaning Myrtles' bathroom here? Or the Giant Squid? Or perhaps Cauldrish's pickled frog livers?"

Scorpius laughed, and pulled her tighter against him, and she couldn't help but grin in return. She loved that she could cause that reaction in him by saying something stupid or sarcastic. That, and the other reaction she could cause….her heart thumped at the thought.

Scorpius caught the change in her expression and his eyebrows furrowed. "What was that?"

"What was what?" she blinked up at him with what she hoped was an innocent look.

He stared down at her suspiciously. "That flash in your eyes. Like you just thought of a great prank. Should I be scared?"

She blushed. "It was nothing."

"Liar."

"Am not."

"Pants on fire."

"I'm not wearing pants," she retorted childishly, indicating her school skirt.

His smirk turned impish and he dragged her so that she was half sitting on his lap. "A guy can dream."

She whacked him on the chest with her fist, but the effect was lost by her subsequent attempt to wriggle closer to him. "We're supposed to be studying," she pointed out. "Not exchanging…pleasantries."

"Pleasantries?" he raised his eyebrows at her mockingly. "Is that what you call this?"

He used his legs to manoeuvre her so that she was sitting firmly on top of him, his hands sliding down the sides of her body before coming to rest on her hips. Rose struggled for a moment before giving in and lacing one hand behind his neck.

"You're trying to sabotage my study plans," she told him, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair.

"And pray tell, why would I do that?"

She stared at him like it should be self-evident. "Well obviously, so that you can achieve a higher mark than me, thereby satisfying your humungous male ego and reasserting the supremacy of Slytherins and purebloods everywhere."

"Nice try," he drawled. "But I can do all that without having to resort to underhand tactics. Being the best comes naturally to a Malfoy."

"And that's why I've beaten you in Arithmancy all year?"

He gave a petulant scowl. "Professor Merus has had it in for me ever since she heard me calling her an overgrown Niffler. You've seen how much she glares at me!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "She does not."

"Does so. Besides, I'm ahead of you in Transfiguration _and _Defence, if I'm not mistaken."

She groaned at the reminder, and he smirked.

"Jealous, Weasley?" he asked her, leaning back in the couch with a look of supreme satisfaction. "I can give you lessons if you want."

She tugged hard at the ends of his hair, causing him to wince in pain.

"Ow," he muttered, rubbing at the spot where she had pulled and giving her a reproachful look. "Wench."

She smirked. "Slytherin."

"Gryffindork."

She shook her head in disgust. "That's pathetic. Is that really the best you can come up with?"

He hooked one finger in between the buttons of her school shirt, and pulled her closer to him until her face was only inches from his own. Then he leant forward to whisper in her ear. "I haven't even got warmed up yet."

Rose tried to ignore the shiver that passed through her body at his warm breath on her ear, and the way his voice had dropped an octave. Suddenly she was very aware of her own position on top of him. She swallowed. "I'm trembling with fear."

"You should be," he murmured, before kissing her. He still had his finger hooked in her shirt, using it to keep her in place while his tongue slipped in between her lips and brushed her own. Despite herself she moaned at the sensation, her hands curling round his neck and her hips shifting as she instinctively pressed against him. As soon as she began to move Scorpius tensed, and he stilled her quickly with his spare hand.

"Don't," he whispered against her lips, his voice sounding somewhat strangled.

She blushed, and broke the kiss. "Sorry," she said awkwardly. "Umm…"

For a while Scorpius said nothing. He kept his hands at her waist, his breathing slightly uneven, his eyes focused with apparent nonchalance on a spot over her shoulder. "It's nearly dinner," he remarked at last, his voice back under control and as calm as though they had been having a perfectly ordinary conversation. "We should go."

She glanced up at the clock that hung in the far wall of their Room of Requirement, and saw that he was right. A pang of regret shot through her, and she slid reluctantly off of him. Internally she cursed her shyness, which was the reason she clammed up as soon as he reacted like that. She blamed her conversation with Albus about Scorpius' previous girlfriends, the words she couldn't seem to forget no matter how hard she tried. She hated to think that Scorpius was so much more experienced than her. It made her feel nervous and clumsy. "Oh."

"Guess we won't be walking down together," he said, though there was the slightest hint of a question in his voice.

She shook her head guiltily. "I haven't told Dom yet," she confessed. When he continued to stare at her in silence she bit her lip. "I've tried, really. It's just that she's so busy with her new boyfriend and she never sits still long enough to talk to properly and – "

"It's okay Rose."

His tone gave nothing away. "You're sure?" she asked tentatively.

He stood up and offered her his hand, hauling her to her feet. "Course. It's weird enough having Al know. I'm not in that much of a rush to have your entire family glaring daggers at me across the Hall and trying to ambush me between classes."

"Well, when you put it that way," she half-joked. In truth, she wasn't sure how she felt about going completely public with Scorpius. She knew she would have to sooner or later, especially now that Albus knew, but there was something nice about it just being the two of them. Involving her entire family in it was going to be such a drag.

"Come on," he said, pushing her toward the door. "You go now, I'll follow you in a minute."

With a reluctant nod, she did as he instructed, letting herself out of the Room of Requirement and hurrying off to the Great Hall for dinner.

* * *

><p>The first exam of the season was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Rose thought she did well enough, casting all her protective spells nonverbally and not letting a single of her Examiner's curses through her barrier. In the theory side she wrote three feet on Dementors, referencing her own parents' experiences with them for extra points, and felt relatively happy coming out of the Great Hall. Charms was the day after, followed by Arithmancy, after which she had a three day break. She and Scorpius were in Arithmancy together, and spent the night before the exam desperately quizzing each other in the Room of Requirement. Rose wasn't sure whether or not it was a productive exercise, given how distracting his presence could be, and their tendency to get…rather sidetracked.<p>

They emerged after the exam together, still discussing their answers to certain questions, and found Albus leaning against the wall in the Entrance Hall waiting for them. Rose took an instinctive half-step away from Scorpius upon seeing her cousin, still not used to him knowing about their relationship and wary of antagonising him. But Al only rolled his eyes.

"Relax, Rose. How was your exam?"

"I think I stuffed up question – " she and Scorpius both began at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

Albus looked between them with a bemused expression. "Riiight," he drawled. "Anyway, who's up for a visit to Hagrid? Thought we could go see him since the weather's so fine and we have three whole days before Transfiguration."

"That's a great idea!" said Rose happily, and together they set off out of the castle and over the grounds toward Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was sitting on the front porch, Shadow the boarhound sprawled at his feet, whittling at a piece of wood with a pocket knife and whistling to himself.

"Heya Hagrid!" Scorpius called out loudly when they were a few feet away, and they waved at him when he looked up.

"All righ', you three?" Hagrid put the knife and wood to one side and sat forward with a grin. "Bin a while."

The three of them exchanged mutual guilty looks. "It's just been crazy this year," said Rose, feeling bad. "The teachers are crazy and – " she trailed off when she noticed him chortling.

"S'alrigh', yeh muppet," said Hagrid affectionately. "I know how much work I bin givin' these two," he grinned at Al and Scorpius. "An' Professor Sami wants me ter give yeh even more, bless her soul."

Rose frowned in confusion before she remembered that Professor Sami was the new part-time Care of Magical Creatures Professor, who helped Hagrid with his lessons and took some of the younger classes for him.

"Professor Sami's not nearly as good as you are Hagrid," said Albus fiercely.

"Yeah," agreed Scorpius. "We don't want her to take over our classes."

Hagrid's eyes were suspiciously bright as he looked at them. "Ah, yeh're sweet kids. But s'gettin' harder n' harder ter get this ol' body up n' abou' each day. Professor Sami's bin a great help."

They exchanged worried glances, but Hagrid merely clapped his overlarge hands on his thighs with a sound like thunder. "Well, come in then. Lemme put the kettle on. Yeh're in luck, I jus' put some bath buns in the oven…"

They followed him in and sat down at his kitchen table. Rose had expected Shadow to snuggle against her, as he had last time, but the pup took one glance at her before promptly turning and nudging in between Scorpius' ankles instead. She scowled at this rejection, and even more when she saw Scorpius' triumphant smirk. Stupid, dog-loving git.

Albus was oblivious to this exchange. He had started quizzing Hagrid on what was going to be in their exam the following week, but the half-giant was refusing to give anything away.

"_Please _just tell me if we're going to get tested on Merpeople," begged Albus, clasping his hands in front of him in melodramatic fashion. "I know we had that one lesson on their language and culture, but are we really supposed to know all that? _Please, _Hagrid."

Hagrid laughed and shook his shaggy head. "Can't tell yeh," he said adamantly. "It'd be playin' fav'rites, n' tha's not fair fer the rest o' the class. Besides, yer parents wouldn' wan' me givin' yeh extra help."

"I think my parents would forgive you if I got a good enough grade," muttered Albus under his breath.

"S'good ter see you two bein' friendly," remarked Hagrid, setting four mugs of steaming tea on the table and gesturing to Scorpius and Rose. "S'real good."

She blushed and looked at Scorpius, wondering if they should enlighten him that they were more than just friends. Rose felt like Hagrid was one of the few people at Hogwarts who wouldn't judge them or criticize them, and a sudden desire to confess overwhelmed her. Since no disapproving frown from Scorpius or Albus was forthcoming, she decided to go ahead. "Actually Hagrid," she said, feeling the heat creep up her cheeks. "We're…umm… well…"

Scorpius laced his fingers through hers and then dragged her arm up so that their entwined hands rested on the kitchen table in plain view. Hagrid stared at them in bewilderment, his eyebrows disappearing into his mane of wild hair.

"A couple?" he asked incredulously, looking first at Rose and then at Scorpius, who nodded. "Blimey. I didn' know…well, tha's great," he said at last, reaching forward and patting them both vigorously on the back, causing Rose to nearly face-plant into her tea. "Congratulations Rose, Scorpius."

"Thank you sir," replied Scorpius, his tone uncharacteristically respectful.

"Have yeh told your parents yet?"

They glanced at each other, and Scorpius' hand tightened around her own. "Actually, we haven't told anyone, besides you and Albus."

"Oh." The smile on Hagrid's face slipped a little. "Well, jus' remember ter give 'em some time ter get used to the idea…migh' take 'em a bit, but don' let that bother yeh. A couple!" he chuckled again and took a gulp of tea. "Seems like on'y yesterday your parents were here gettin' in their firs' relationships…bless 'em."

"I bet my parents were total prudes," declared Albus proudly. "They were too busy saving the world to worry about any of that stuff, right Hagrid?"

"I wouldn' be so sure," said Hagrid with a mischievous grin. "Yer ma was a righ' firecracker back then. She'd liked yer dad fer ages, but she'd always bin too shy ter tell him. Then one day, after the quidditch, she jus' ran straight up ter Harry n' kissed him, righ' there in fron' o' all the other students. Tha' was in sixth year too, if I remember righ'…"

Al turned slightly green and muttered something about 'too much information' before drowning himself in his tea. Scorpius grinned, the action lighting his face up so handsomely that Rose felt her heart skip a beat and her hand squeeze his involuntarily. He looked across at her, questioning, but she only shook her head, feeling slightly breathless.

"Are you coming to Teddy and Victoire's wedding Hagrid?" she asked instead, to distract herself from her own feelings.

"Course!" said Hagrid gruffly, turning around to take the plate of bath buns from the oven. He set them on the table, steaming. "Wouldn' miss it fer anythin'. Always knew those two would end up together…like I - " he broke off as a sudden coughing fit took him, his whole body shaking with the force of it. Hurriedly, he fished a table-cloth sized hanky out of his pocket and pressed it to his mouth, his face turning progressively redder as he struggled to regain control of his breathing. Scorpius' grin vanished and Rose felt his worry mirrored in herself. Albus, who was sitting next to Hagrid, had one arm raised as though to clap him over the back, and a horribly stricken expression on his face. Underneath the table Shadow began to whine.

Finally, the coughing began to subside, and Hagrid's skin slowly returned to its normal nut brown. He coughed one last time into the handkerchief, then blew his nose loudly, before sitting up straight and taking a deep, rather exhausted breath.

"Sorry," he said, not meeting their eyes. "S'this wretched cold. Musta picked it up in class…"

"Hagrid," began Rose tentatively. "Have you thought about going to see Madam Pomfrey? I'm sure she could give you something to help with…with your cold."

"Pah," Hagrid waved a dustbin-sized hand as though to swat away her concern. "Don' worry abou' me. I'll be righ'. Now, who wants a bath bun, while they're still hot?"

* * *

><p>"I'll be right, he says! Don't worry about me, he says! Fat chance of that happening, when he sounds like he's half-way to coughing up his own lung!"<p>

Albus continued to fume as they made their slow way back across the grounds from Hagrid's hut, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his face furrowed.

Rose was inclined to agree with him. It was obvious that Hagrid was very sick. But she didn't know what they could do to help. "I'll guess he'll take care of it in his own way," she said weakly.

"Or not take care of it, more likely," scowled Albus.

"Reckon we could persuade Pomfrey to pay him a surprise visit?" mused Scorpius. His hand was still laced with hers, warm and comforting. "Maybe spike his whiskey with a healing tonic?"

"Got potential," agreed Al.

"Do you think we should write to our parents?" asked Rose. The two boys looked at her in confusion. "I mean, don't you think they'd want to know that one of their good friends is sick? I doubt he'd tell them himself."

Neither of them said anything. Rose had a suspicion they didn't want to acknowledge that Hagrid's sickness was serious enough to be informing the adults about. And maybe it wasn't? Maybe it _was _just a bad cold…

They walked the rest of the way to the Entrance Hall in silence. When they got there, it took her a moment to understand why they had stopped walking, before she realised that this was where they parted ways, the boys down the stairs into the dungeons and she up the marble staircase in the other direction. Something odd constricted in her gut as she turned to face Scorpius, who still held her hand and seemed unwilling to let go.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Al stiffly. "See you later Rose."

She gave her cousin a grateful look as he meandered down the stairs and out of sight. Then she let out her breath all at once. Scorpius pulled her closer, dragging her into his chest. His grey eyes were troubled.

"You're worried about Hagrid," she said simply, resting her free hand on his shoulder.

He nodded.

"I think it's…nice, that the two of you are close."

He shrugged. "I owe him a lot." When she looked at him inquiringly he continued. "He always stuck up for me when no one else would. He never…he never judged me for my father. That's more than most people here can say." The light was fading around them as the sun set outside, adding to the darkness behind his words.

She felt an unexpected twinge of guilt when she realised that she was one of 'those people.' "I'm sorry," she said, her breath little more than a whisper.

Scorpius shook his head. "Don't be." He bent towards her until their foreheads were touching. "It's not your fault."

"I've been such an idiot," she continued weakly. "All those years, judging you without even knowing. I don't – I don't deserve – "

"Shhh," he let go of her hand and reached up to run a finger down her cheek.

Their lips came together slowly, and Rose was struck once again by the jolt of pure pleasure that shot through her when they kissed. She supposed she should be used to it by now, but for some reason it still managed to take her by surprise.

Her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Rose deepened the kiss, desperate to show him how sorry she was, how badly she knew she had misjudged him. Scorpius responded instantly, cradling her face between his hands and drawing her close. She gave a soft whimper as his tongue grazed her bottom lip, and pulled restlessly at his shirt. Frustrated at all the fabric between them, she pressed into him and he groaned, one of his hands travelling to her hips and holding her against him in a way that made her feel dizzy and reckless. It was amazing how rapidly things could start to spiral out of control. She couldn't help but to react to his touch, arching into him, relishing the hardness of his body against hers. It was both a comfort and a torture at the same time. She clung to him, wanting more, wanting so much more…

Scorpius broke the kiss abruptly and turned his head to one side, his breathing ragged and his eyes squeezed shut. Rose stared up at him, her own breathing less than steady, trying unsuccessfully to read his expression in the fading light. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle with himself, and looked almost as though he was in pain.

"Did I…" she was blushing, curse it. "Did I do something?"

He gave the ghost of a laugh and opened his eyes. When he turned back to face her, the battle seemed to be over. "No," Scorpius rested his forehead resting against hers, but made no move to kiss her again. His voice was low and deep and incredibly tempting.

"Then what happened?"

"Nothing, it's just…" there was the faintest hint of a smile playing at his lips. "I better stop before I can't stop, you know?"

Now she was definitely blushing. Rose shifted her weight from one foot to the other, not able to meet his eyes anymore. "Oh."

"I'm sorry," he said, suddenly serious, and she dragged her eyes back to his. There was a wariness in them that hadn't been there moments ago. "I didn't mean that. I would never do something you didn't want to do. I – just forget I said anything."

"No, it's fine," she said, holding on when he tried to pull back and forcing him to stay close. She didn't want him to leave.

"Good," he smiled and kissed her quickly on the tip of her nose. "I'd better go. Al and I are going to practise for Transfiguration by the Lake tomorrow. Care to join?"

"Sure." She let go reluctantly so that he could step back.

They stared at each other in silence for a while before he gave her a crooked smile. "Goodnight, Rose."

_Please don't go. _"Goodnight."

She was acting like a lovesick puppy. Rose berated herself silently as she watched Scorpius turn and follow Albus' footsteps back to the Slytherin common room. She had to get a grip. Her soppiness was reaching alarming levels and if she wasn't careful she'd end up scaring him away. After all, he had liked her when she was pretty much nothing but horrible to him – maybe she should stop seeming so eager, act a little hard to get?

And yet, and yet….she smiled to herself as he shot her one last look over his shoulder before disappearing down the stairs. She couldn't stop even if she wanted to.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You know the drill ;)**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: maaaan, it's been too long. You guys have no idea how many times this chapter has been rewritten, edited to within an inch of its life, incinerated by fire, stamped on, squashed, put through the washer and hung out to dry, chewed up, spit out, and generally used and abused. I'm still not completely happy with it, but I had a nightmare that I died without finishing this story, and it scared me so much I decided to just grit my teeth and get on with it. **

**But we're getting there folks. We're getting there. All I can say is keep those reviews coming cause they're sometimes the only thing making me sit down and write at all :)**

**Oh and before I forget, 'Hellbunnyxxxx' has created a really beautiful piece of art based on this story (link's in my profile). You should check it out, it's awesome! **

* * *

><p>It was finally over.<p>

That was the only thought in Rose's exhausted mind as she climbed the stairs back to the Gryffindor common room. Her whole brain ached, and each step took an incredible effort, but it was alright because exams were over. Now she could collapse on her bed and stare blankly at the ceiling for as long as she wanted. All night, if she wanted to. Not even Scorpius' note to meet him in the Room of Requirement later could distract her from getting the sleep she knew she had earned.

The common room was relatively deserted. Since it was such a lovely day, most of the students were probably outside soaking up the sunshine in their second to last day at Hogwarts. Rose stifled a yawn and began to trudge up the stairs to her dormitory, already brooding over what the summer would hold. She hadn't made any progress on telling her family about Scorpius, and the prospect of an entire summer with very little contact from him made her feel depressed and sulky. Especially if she was still concealing the truth from everyone. Rose knew she had to muster up the courage and get it over with, but that was far easier said than done. The first thing to do was tell Dom. But how?

Rose opened the door to the dorm and came face to face with her part-Veela cousin.

"Speak of the devil," she muttered.

Dom, it seemed, had been just about to leave, judging from the way the door nearly knocked her over as it swung inwards. She was dressed up and wearing makeup. Rose gave her appearance a once over and bit her tongue – as a Prefect she was supposed to reprimand students who didn't wear the uniform, but for the last few days of term it just didn't seem worth the effort.

"What did you say?" asked Dom, and Rose was jerked out of her meandering thoughts.

"Nothing," she mumbled, walking past her cousin and dumping her bag on the floor next to her bed. She could tell her now, she realised with a dull ache. They were all alone. She _should _tell her now. But surely it wasn't the right time?

"I'm going to meet Jeb," Dom said, a little redundantly since it was obvious where she was going. Dom's exams had finished several days ago and she had spent practically every waking minute since wrapped with the Hufflepuff boy in one of Hogwarts' many broom closets.

"Okay," said Rose automatically

"I just can't believe how lucky I've been to find someone as great as him."

Rose nodded without really taking in what she was saying.

"You know he said I could come and visit him in London over summer?"

"Mh-hmm."

"Yeah, his mum works in a brothel and she said I might be able to work there for some extra money."

"That's nice."

"You know!" Dom snapped, her voice suddenly rising an octave and forcing Rose to pay attention to her. "You could at least _pretend _to be listening to me!"

She flushed. "Sorry. I'm just really tired from my exam and I – " _I have no idea how to tell you that I'm in love with Scorpius Malfoy. _"I'm sorry," she finished lamely.

"Whatever," said Dom coolly. "You've been acting weird for weeks now."

"Me?" scoffed Rose, and before she could stop she found herself retaliating. "At least I'm not gushing over some no brained yob and his _amazing _biceps."

Her cousin's eyes narrowed furiously. "Shut up Rose," she snapped. "What would you know anyway?"

Rose threw her hands up in frustration and pursed her lips to keep from replying. Dom made as though to storm out, before stopping and turning back to her contemptuously.

"It's pathetic, you know."

Rose raised her eyebrows questioningly, and Dom sighed.

"Look, I get it. I get that you're jealous of what Jeb and I have – "

This yanked her roughly out of her self-imposed silence. "What?" Rose stared at her, wondering if her cousin could possibly be serious. "Jealous? Me?"

"- But it's really petty of you to try and come between us like this." Dom flicked her hair over one shoulder. "You should be happy for me, not envious."

"Are you _mental?_" Rose demanded, too tired to try and find a diplomatic way of framing what she wanted to say. "Have you completely _lost_ it?"

Dom glared at her.

"That…_Jeb_," Rose lifted her hands up mockingly when she said his name. "Has got to be the dumbest, most obnoxious, _putty_-brained idiot that you have _ever _dated. And that's saying something, given some of the male bimbos you've hung around before!"

Dom had her mouth open in shock at what she was saying, but Rose couldn't seem to stop. She had rarely felt so infuriated with her cousin.

"And don't insult my intelligence by claiming you actually like him! I _know _you're only using him to try and get over Calvin, and it's stupid! You're not fooling me at all!"

That had definitely struck a nerve. Dom's blue eyes flashed and for a minute Rose thought she might actually hit her. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" she screeched back, tears spilling out of her blue eyes. "JUST BECAUSE NO GUY HAS EVER GIVEN YOU THE TIME OF DAY – "

"Dom – "

"BECAUSE YOU'RE ALONE AND YOU DON'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND –

"That's – "

"AND _I_ DO!"

Rose wanted to laugh at the absurdity of what Dom was saying. But at the same time her words filled her with a furious rage and she wanted to shake her and scream in her face.

"YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS!" Dom continued, her face bright red. "BECAUSE YOU'RE A BOOKWORM AND I'M NOT AND YOU GOT DUMPED BY CHARLIE CORNER AND BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A SINGLE GUY IN HOGWARTS WHO WOULD – "

"I'M DATING SCORPIUS MALFOY!"

Dom's tirade came to an abrupt halt. She stared at Rose, her eyes as wide as saucers and her mouth open in a comical 'oh' of shock.

"Wh-what?"

Rose covered her face, furious with herself. She had told her cousin in the absolute worst way possible. And now she couldn't take it back. Dom's eyes may have been popping with astonishment, but Rose knew there was no way she had misheard.

They stood in silence for a long time, before Dom finally made a sound of sarcastic disbelief. "Very funny."

Rose lifted her head. That wasn't the reaction she'd expected. "What?"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" said Dom, her voice acidic. Her eyes were narrowed to slits and she looked beyond furious.

"I – "

"Are you trying to impress me by lying that a cute guy likes you, Rose? If that's your plan, at least make it somewhat believable next time. As if you and Malfoy would _ever _work as a couple."

Her words seemed to jab into her like darts. She knew Dom was just trying to upset her, but it still hurt to hear that from her best friend. "Believe what you want," she said, her voice now dropped to a low murmur.

Dom shook her head slowly. "No. No. I refuse to believe it."

"You think I'm lying?" Rose demanded in a tone of annoyance. "You actually think I'm that pathetic?"

"No, I refuse to believe you could be such a _backstabbing bitch,_" spat Dom, and Rose winced.

"Backstabbing? What exactly is backstabbing about it?"

"Oh I don't know," said Dom sarcastically. "Maybe that it goes against everything we've ever believed in?"

"I didn't realise we had a rule against dating Scorpius Malfoy?"

"WE HAD AN _UNSPOKEN_ RULE!" Dom yelled suddenly, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. "How could you _do _this? You know what his family is!"

"Scorpius isn't like that!" Rose pleaded. "He's different, he's – "

"Don't give me that! You _hate _him."

"I _used _to hate him."

"What, and you just woke up one day and decided you actually fancied him instead?" scoffed Dom disbelievingly. "You can't just change your feelings like that!"

"Well apparently I can, since I have."

"No," said Dom again, shaking her head. "It's impossible. You can't."

"Please Dom – "

"He's a _Malfoy_!"

"I thought we were past this!" Rose practically begged. She so desperately wanted Dom to give her approval. But her cousin's eyes were hard and angry and unforgiving.

"Not past it to _this _point! Dating? I don't understand how – and you called _me _mental?"

Rose opened her mouth and closed it again. This was entirely different to how dealing with Albus had been. Al and Scorpius were best mates, and even if Al hadn't been pleased at first, he still recognised his friend's basic decency. But Dom had _never _given Scorpius the time of day.

"He's just using you," said Dom abruptly, jerking Rose back to the present.

"No, Dom – "

"He's just using you," repeated her cousin. "I've heard stories about Malfoy. The two of you have absolutely _nothing _in common. What do you think he's after – your brains?"

Rose could feel tears pricking behind her eyes. She shook her head, not looking at Dom, not wanting to see the poisonous glare she knew her cousin was giving her. She was so tired. All she wanted was to get away.

"I can't believe you'd even _consider_ dating a Malfoy," Dom continued hatefully.

"Dom – "

"What about your family? Did you ever think of _us_? Or were you just too busy lusting after a Slytherin bad boy to give a – "

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, putting her hands over her ears to block out Dom's words and charging past her cousin towards the door. She couldn't stand another minute of listening. She had to get out. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"WITH PLEASURE!" Dom screamed back, her voice echoing through the corridor as Rose tripped down it. "YOU _SLUT_!"

Rose choked back a sob, her vision blinded by tears as she emerged back into the common room. Ignoring whoever was there, she ran over to the portrait hole and practically fell out of it, before sprinting down the corridor as fast as her feet would take her.

Less than five minutes later she found herself at the blank stretch of wall on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Without stopping to think, Rose began to pace, her mind focused on the solitary thought: _I need to find Scorpius. I need to find Scorpius. I need to find Scorpius. _It was a terrible, unclear request, but at the end of her three laps a door appeared in the wall nonetheless. She seized the handle and threw herself into the room.

"Rose?"

Looking up, she realised that Scorpius was already there. She stared at him for a moment before bursting into tears.

"Rose!" He stood up, throwing aside the parchment he had been writing on, and was at her side in an instant. He grabbed her arms and bent down to look into her face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, unable to speak, and he gathered her into his arms, wrapping her tightly in an embrace. Rose felt her tears soaking into his robes, but couldn't seem to stop. Dom's words reverberated in her head, each time more painful than the last. She had known her cousin would be mad, but she hadn't been prepared for that confrontation. And she was already so exhausted…

"Shh," whispered Scorpius, stroking her hair with one hand. "It's alright."

But it wasn't. _Slut. _How could Dom have said that to her? Rose sucked in a deep breath and bit down on her lip, hard. She tasted blood, but at least it had stopped her loud, anguished sobs. _He's only using you. _She was such an idiot.

Rose pulled out of his embrace, taking a step back and wiping her sleeve ungracefully across her face. For some time she simply stared off to one side, breathing in deeply and trying to calm her thoughts and restore some semblance of sanity to her frazzled mind.

When she finally looked back at Scorpius, he had a wary expression on his face.

"What happened?" he asked, in a tone that told her he wasn't going to take 'nothing' for an answer.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out besides a pained squeak. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Dom."

Scorpius scowled. "You told her?"

"I kind of…blurted it out," she admitted miserably. "We got into a fight and…we were both yelling at each other and I – I – " a fresh wave of anguish washed over her, and she scrunched up her face against further tears. "Oh, God."

He reached out and made to pull her back to him, but she stepped away instead. Scorpius frowned at this, and dropped his hand. "What did she say to you?" he asked roughly.

Rose shook her head helplessly, and a moment later she covered her face with her hands again. She didn't want to look at him, to see the combination of worry, anger and bitterness on his face. She could still feel him though, his eyes burning into her skin.

"Don't listen to her," he said at last, his voice low and deep.

"How can I not?" she spoke into her hands, her voice muffled. "She – she said…that – "

"No," he cut across her. "Whatever she said, it doesn't matter. It's not worth thinking about."

"She was so angry," whispered Rose. "I – I can't believe some of the things she said." Except that wasn't quite true; she _could_ believe them. She just didn't want to.

After a moment or two Rose pulled her hands away from her face. But she still couldn't quite meet his eyes, not with Dom's words so fresh in her head, like a bad song on a magical loop. "I'm sorry," she said, staring at a spot on the wall behind him. "That was really childish of me, to cry like that. I – I think I must be sleep deprived or…something."

"It's fine."

Her hysteria was beginning to be replaced with embarrassment. She knew what she must look like, with her face flushed and her hair a frizzy mess. If Scorpius really _was_ just using her, then he certainly wouldn't appreciate having to deal with her melodrama like this. The thought made her feel nauseous. "I know this probably wasn't what you had in mind, when you said we should meet up."

He didn't reply, so she was forced to look back up at him. Scorpius was staring at her with an inscrutable expression; Rose couldn't shake the feeling that she had somehow disappointed him. "And what exactly did you think I had in mind?" he asked softly.

She shrugged. "I dunno. I guess…" _He's just using you. _"Celebrating?" Her eyes flicked to the couch where he had been sitting, her mind recalling the many times they had sat there together, wrapped in one other, oblivious to the world…

Scorpius growled. "I told you not to listen to what she said."

The anger in his voice surprised her, and her eyes snapped back to his. "Wh-what?"

"It's dragon dung Rose, and you know it."

"You don't even know what she said!"

One corner of his mouth lifted derisively. "Maybe not. But I think I can make a pretty good guess."

Rose blinked, not sure what to say. Was she really that obvious?

"Besides," he continued, the anger gone from his voice now. "You don't need to be Dumbledore to figure it out. Just how many nasty things could Dominique Weasley think up about me to make you cry like that?"

She flushed. "She's not that bad…"

"Whatever," said Scorpius coldly. "I really couldn't give a knut about that screeching Veela. But I _do _care when whatever she says makes you look at the couch as though it's about to transfigure into a werewolf and bite you."

Rose felt her cheeks burn, but she knew she couldn't deny what he was saying. How he had read her so easily, she wasn't sure. "Am I that transparent?"

"You forget I've lived with you for six years," said Scorpius dryly. He stepped forward again and put his hands on her arms, his grip strong, and this time she didn't pull away. "And yes, you are that transparent."

"Right." She looked up at him and bit her lip, knowing she had to spit it out now they had started this conversation. "Your dad said it too," she forced out, feeling as though she had swallowed a goblet of sticking solution. "And Albus. They all seem to think that I'm just – just some phase that you're going to get over…that – that I'm…that it'll pass, once you get…bored of me."

"They're wrong."

"I guess."

He didn't say anything, just continued to hold her at arm's length, studying her. She gnawed her lip, uncomfortable under his scrutiny, her mind going in endless circles over the same questions.

"Scorpius…" she began hesitantly.

"What?"

"I…I have to ask you something." Merlin, she was burning up. It was absolutely impossible to meet his eyes.

There was a long silence before he finally spoke. "Go on."

"I – " she took a deep breath, staring at the snake on his tie as though her life depended on it. "I have to know…how many girls have you slept with?"

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and stifling. Rose waited, the green of the snake blurring and seeming to move in her vision. Scorpius' hands on her arms had gone stiff.

Finally, she forced herself to look up at him. "Well?"

He let out his breath in a long, low sigh. "Why are you asking me this?"

Her cheeks burned and she stepped backwards out of his grasp. "I think I have a right to know."

"It's not important."

"Yes it is!" Her heart was thudding painfully hard against her ribcage.

He shook his head. "It's not."

"It is if I say it is," she continued, her voice high-pitched. Rose winced at the sound of herself, but she couldn't seem to help the insecurity flowering inside her. _What do you think he's after, your brains?_

Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're only asking this because of what she said."

"That's not the point."

"Isn't it?" he challenged. "You've never been interested in this before."

She glared at him. "Stop avoiding the question."

"I'm avoiding it because it's stupid."

"No it's _not_," she hissed, feeling a deep burn ignite within her in response to his evasiveness. "It's a perfectly valid question and I don't understand why you won't just _answer it_."

He stared off to the side, his jaw clenched. "Because you'll be upset."

The blood was pounding in her ears now, making it difficult to think. "I'm already upset. You can't upset me any further."

"Rose – "

"Just _tell _me, Scorpius!"

"Fine!" he snapped, his eyes flashing. "Four. I've slept with four girls."

Something painful seemed to be squeezing like an iron band around her stomach. Rose blinked, swallowed, and blinked again. Four. Her mind couldn't seem to grasp what this actually meant. It was a meaningless number. Four faceless bodies swam into her vision, like those mannequins she saw sometimes in Muggle London with her mother. Four.

Scorpius cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Are you happy now?" he asked, his tone lacking its usual acerbic undertone.

Her own throat had stopped working as well. Rose coughed and opened her mouth but found she wasn't sure quite what to say. There was nothing, just nothing. Not relief, not anger, not sadness. Four. Was that a lot? She didn't really know.

"Rose – "

A question floated into her mind and she seized upon it. "Who were they?"

She could feel the frustration and annoyance radiating from him. "You honestly want to know?"

"Yes."

"Fine," his voice was hard and distant. "Arabella, Brienne, Sally Harper….and Flora."

Something clicked in Rose's mind and there it was, the rush of anger she had been looking for. The shock of what he said hit her and she couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Her eyes lifted to his and finally, finally she could feel it.

"_Flora?_"

Scorpius stuffed his hands deep into his pockets and scowled. "You wanted honesty. You got it. Sorry to ruin your little Gryffindor fantasies." The bitterness in his voice was intense.

"You told me she was just your friend!"

"She is."

"Oh, is that what you call being friends in Slytherin?"

Scorpius took half a step forward before seeming to think better of it. "It was in the summer, and if I remember correctly you'd vowed never to speak to me again at that stage. I haven't slept with her since the start of the year."

This conversation was not going at all how she had wanted it to go. Rose wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry at the irony – she had run here, hoping that Scorpius would be able to reassure her that Dom's words were meaningless. And instead here she was, debating whether four was a reasonable number of girls to have slept with and whether having slept with your current best friend constituted some kind of relationship code breaker. He couldn't have been less reassuring if he'd tried.

She laughed softly to herself and then blinked as a fresh wave of tears stung at her eyes.

Scorpius cleared his throat again. "Look, I know it – "

"I don't want to talk about it," she interrupted him harshly. She couldn't remember why she had come here, how it had ever seemed like a good idea. "I'm just…going to…" She made a hasty movement toward the door before she felt him grab her wrist and spin her around.

"What, so now you're just going to leave? What happened to 'you can't upset me any further'?" He looked angry. Rose couldn't blame him. Deep down, very deep down, a small voice inside her was whispering quietly about how unreasonable she was being. But she couldn't listen to it. Not right then.

"I just need to think," she said, pulling her arm and feeling her wrist slide out of his grasp. "About things. Maybe – maybe you and Flora can make up while I'm at it." It was a low blow, and she knew it. Scorpius' face hardened and his eyes narrowed.

"Maybe," he said coolly.

She nodded once and turned toward the door. "I…" but she had no real idea what to say. So instead she simply fled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh, and in case you haven't read my profile, I'm currently travelling through Europe! That means I can't guarantee when I'll next be updating, but trust me when I say that I'm trying my best and that this story is never very far from my thoughts. Also that every review I receive is just a little bit of added inspiration to sit down and write. **

**Tusen takk! ~A**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Hey hey! Y'all haven't given up on me have you? I hope not, cause this story ain't over yet. **

**This is the last chapter of sixth year. Hope you like it. **

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><p><em>Sixth Year, Final.<em>

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><p>Two days. That was all she had to get through. Just two days. Funny how when you were studying for exams or spending time cuddling on the couch, two days went by in the blink of an eye; but when you were fighting with your best friend, or your pseudo-secret-boyfriend, or both, two days could drag on for an eternity.<p>

The worst part was that there was nowhere she could go where she was sure to be left alone. She couldn't hide in her dorm room, because she never knew when Dom might storm in unannounced, shoot her a filthy glare and mutter under her breath before slamming the door on her way out. But neither could she hide somewhere inconspicuous around the castle, like the library, because she knew Scorpius would try and corner her. Which he did.

She was walking back to the common room after spending hours in the library doing nothing but sitting blankly at a desk and trying to avoid Madam Beauvoir's suspicious stare, when a door opened to her right and she felt herself dragged unceremoniously into an empty classroom. A sense of déjà-vu overwhelmed her, and she bit down on her bottom lip to stop from voicing her frustration.

"Rose." Scorpius didn't attempt to pin her to the wall as he had the last time he accosted her. Instead he simply stood before her, his arms folded across his chest and his grey eyes fixed on her with a piercing intensity. He had left the door slightly ajar. Rose eyed it warily, wondering if it was worth trying to make a run for it. Something told her she wouldn't make it very far.

"Scorpius." Her voice was so cold, even she winced at it. Rose coughed and stared off to the side. She hadn't had time to reconcile herself with their previous conversation in the Room of Requirement yet. She wasn't ready to talk about it.

"So you're still mad," he said, just as aloof. She looked up at him, and saw that his mouth was pressed into a thin, tight line.

"I guess."

"How long are we going to play this game, huh?" His tone was heavily sarcastic. "I just want to know when you're going to decide I'm worth knowing again, so I can plan my schedule accordingly."

She felt a bolt of anger shoot through her. "It's not a game!" she snapped back. "I have to think about things. I'm sorry that doesn't fit with your program, but it's just the way it is."

"You do realise that there's only one day left until we leave for summer?"

"I – I know." This thought had been tormenting her all through the night, making it impossible to sleep. Knowing that she wouldn't see Scorpius for such a long time, that this might be their last chance to be together until school started again… deep down she knew she would regret it if they left on this note. But she couldn't help how she was feeling. She couldn't put her emotions on fast forward just because time demanded it.

He took a step toward her, so that he was within touching distance. She willed herself to stillness. "You asked for honesty and I gave it to you. So I slept with Flora over the summer… It didn't work anyway, because – " he broke off.

"Because what?"

He glared at her. "Because – because damn it Rose, can't you see I'm crazy about you?"

She swallowed thickly and watched as he began to pace up and down in front of her.

"It never meant anything and I don't know why because Merlin knows I _tried _to make it mean something, for my family and my father and for _your _father, who I'm sure will be oh so pleased when you tell him about me. I tried but it didn't mean anything." He stopped pacing abruptly and faced her. "I haven't even slept with you and it still means more than anything I ever did with Flora. I don't know why but it just does."

There was a long silence. Rose had no idea what to say to him. She was barely able to process what he was telling her.

Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What do you want from me, Rose?"

His new tone of voice cut at her, and she blinked rapidly. "It's not – I don't _want _anything from you. I just… need time."

He reached out and traced a finger down her cheek, soft as a whisper. "We don't have time."

She was dangerously close to giving in to him. His touch reminded her of how good it felt to be in his arms, to feel his lips on hers… she could sense the longing deep within her, tugging her in his direction. But she grit her teeth and refused to move. Flora. Think of Flora. Think of the anguish if he was still sleeping with her now, while he pretended to love her. Think of the risk…

"Of course we have time," she choked out, her voice strangled. "We have all next year."

"So you're saying you'll still want me next year?" there was a smile in his voice now, a satisfaction, as though he knew he was winning. Damn him.

"That's – who knows what will happen? That's the point."

"Rose… " his finger trailed down her jaw, onto her neck, and she almost, _almost _ arched towards him. She knew that as soon as she gave any response he would take her, would grab hold of her and kiss her and… and then all her reservations will have been for nothing. She couldn't give in.

"N-no," she stepped sideways, the only direction that didn't involve him, and felt his finger drop away. She fixed her eyes on the chalkboard behind them as she spoke. "I need time to think about this. If you – if you really respect me you'll wait until I'm ready. After the summer maybe. If you can't wait that long then… then I understand."

There was a pause. "Are you _testing _me?" he demanded roughly.

She shook her head. "No. Just telling you how I feel. I need time." She edged toward the door.

"Rose, wait – "

She ran before he could stop her, her feet echoing loudly in the deserted corridor. He didn't attempt to follow her.

After that she stayed in her dorm, Dom or no Dom, because she knew she didn't have the strength to withstand him if he tracked her down again. She went down to the Great Hall for the End-of-Term Feast, and cheered along with the rest of her House when Gryffindor were presented with the House Cup. She laughed too, at the antics of James and Fred; somehow they had managed to transfigure the end of the Slytherin table into a lion's head that belted out the Gryffindor song for a solid minute until Professor McGonagall found a way to reverse the spell. The best part was that they didn't even get in trouble for it; the Headmistress merely remarked that with transfiguration skills such as that they would no doubt go far in life. By the end of it the Slytherins were in uproar, and the rest of the Great Hall was ringing with laughter. Rose laughed along with them, although in truth her spirit was heavy and downhearted. With the ease of long practice she studiously avoided Scorpius' gaze. Instead she looked at each of his four 'conquests' in turn: Arabella Yaxley, his date to the Yule Ball; Sarah Harper, a pretty Ravenclaw Rose had never really had much to do with; Brienne Crowley, a notoriously slutty Slytherin… and Flora.

As soon as she could without attracting attention, Rose got up quietly from the Gryffindor table and made her way out of the Great Hall. She passed Dom on the way; her friend's gaze lingered on her as though she was almost considering speaking, but when Rose reached her she turned pointedly away. Rose sighed and kept walking, feeling another pair of eyes on her, like burning pinpoints on her skin. But she refused to look, and as soon as she was out of sight she broke into a run back to the Gryffindor common room. One more sleep. Just one more. And then she could go home.

* * *

><p>The drizzle made curious patterns on the windows of the Hogwarts' Express. Rose watched them form, her forehead resting against the glass and her breath slowly fogging it up.<p>

She was currently alone in the compartment, and had been for some time. Albus had popped his head in once or twice, in a transparent attempt to cheer her up, but she had largely ignored him, and he hadn't visited for a while. Dom had paused outside her door once, but Rose had kept her gaze fixed on the window and after a moment Daisy had pulled her cousin away. Scorpius she hadn't seen at all.

There was a dull throbbing in her head that had become painfully familiar to her over the last few days. It started as soon as she began trying to think about her conversation with Scorpius, about his confession and what it meant; and it grew and grew the longer she dwelt on them until it became impossible to think at all. Until just thinking of those other girls made her physically nauseous. She was torn between accepting her body's natural reaction and admitting to how childish she was being. A game, Scorpius had called it. She didn't like to think that it was. But the fact remained that she didn't really have a _reason _to be angry with him, if she believed what he had said about it all occurring before the start of the year. And she did believe him, didn't she?

The compartment door slid open, and Lily's copper head appeared a second before her cousin let herself in and sat down opposite with never a by-your-leave. Rose blinked in surprise.

"You look terrible," said Lily abruptly. Her voice had changed significantly over the course of the year; it was far more mature now, more like her mother's. It made Rose edgy. "Have you been sleeping at all?"

"Umm… " she blushed and stared out the window. "I guess… not."

"That bad, huh?"

She looked quickly back at Lily, but there was nothing on her cousin's face to go with the strangeness of her comment.

"Um, yeah." She struggled to find something to say, disconcerted by Lily's directness. "I guess, exams and everything, they really took it out of me, you know?"

"Mm-hmm." Lily's voice was the definition of sceptical.

Rose focused on the raindrops, then on the scenery sweeping past outside, then looked back at Lily. Her cousin was still giving her that supercilious stare, her eyebrows raised the merest fraction to indicate her disbelief. Rose decided it was time to exert her authority as the elder in the conversation.

"Okay Lily, what do you want?"

Lily smirked. "You had a fight," she said bluntly.

"With Dom? Yeah."

"With Scorpius."

Rose choked, her heart beginning to pound. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said quickly. Too quickly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're such a terrible liar Rose."

_Crap, fuck, flobberworms. _Rose sighed and decided to give the game up. She was too exhausted to pretend any longer. "Dom told you?" she said heavily, wondering who else her cousin had told. James, Fred? _Please let her not have told my parents._

"Phht," Lily swept her long curtain of hair behind her shoulder in one swift motion. "Give me some credit, please. I figured it out ages ago."

Rose stared at her. "But… how?"

"Saw you on the Astronomy Tower. You stole mine and Ben's spot that night." Catching her horrified look, Lily hastened to add, "Don't worry, Ben doesn't know. I told him Brienne Crowley was up there with some guy – perfectly believable, since Brienne's been up there with practically every guy in Hogwarts."

Something sharp stabbed at Rose's insides, and she forced herself not to think of Brienne and Scorpius on top of the Astronomy Tower together. "Hn, yeah."

"So," said Lily smugly, leaning back and looking irritatingly proud of herself. "You and Malfoy hey? I've been dying to talk to you about it."

"Why didn't you?"

"There never seemed to be a good time," Lily shrugged. "Besides, I didn't want to risk giving you away."

Rose felt a sudden surge of affection for her younger cousin. "Thanks, Lil."

"No problem. So who else knows?"

"Al… and Dom."

"Uh-huh. And that's what you were fighting with Al about, wasn't it? That time at the Quidditch."

"Yep."

"And it's why you're fighting with Dom now, isn't it?"

Rose sighed. "You got me."

"Don't worry," said Lily breezily. "I don't think anybody else knows. And they won't hear it from me."

"Thanks," she said again. "They might from Dom though."

"I doubt it. So anyway… what's he like?"

Rose blinked, her brain slowing down abruptly to a snail's-pace. "What do you mean?"

Lily looked at her as though she was a dim-witted child that needed things to be explained very slowly. "I mean Scorpius. What's he like?"

"Like?"

"In _bed_."

"In bed?" Rose repeated blankly, unable to believe she was having this conversation with her fifteen-year-old cousin. "Wh – what?"

Lily suddenly looked very shrewd. "You haven't slept with him, have you?"

"Lily!" she could feel herself turning red. She looked around wildly, desperate for a way out of this terrible conversation. Also to make sure the door to the compartment was securely shut; she shuddered to think of anybody eavesdropping on them. "Don't say that!"

"And why not?" asked Lily, crossing her arms over her chest. "You two've had chemistry all year. And I saw the way you were kissing on the Astronomy Tower. I can't believe you haven't done it yet."

Rose wondered vaguely if she had fallen asleep and wandered into another dimension by accident, one where it was perfectly normal to discuss her sex life with a younger cousin. "I… we… "

"So you're still a virgin then?" said Lily confidently. "Scorpius isn't. Is that why you guys are fighting?"

Rose's eyes snapped to Lily as though she had slapped her. "How do you know Scorpius isn't?" she demanded.

Lily shrugged. "I've heard things. Honestly, if you paid more attention in the girls' bathrooms you'd hear this sort of stuff too. I don't get why you're so upset – I've always thought it's better if the guy has more experience, personally."

There was a knock on the door, and Rose practically threw herself toward it. "Come in," she shrieked, desperate for a way to avoid Lily's stare.

It was a young boy Rose vaguely recognised as being in Ravenclaw. "Prefects' meeting," he said sullenly, before wandering off without another word.

_Crap, fuck, flobberworms. _The end of year Prefects' debriefing… she'd forgotten all about it, in the chaos that had been the end of term. Rose looked across at Lily. At least there was one good thing to come out of the interruption. "Gotta go," she said brightly, getting to her feet. "Prefects' meeting. Let's continue this conversation… never!"

Lily flicked her hair again. "I'll get the details of you eventually," she said.

"That would imply that there will be details to give. Not gonna happen." _But you want it to, _a treacherous voice inside her head whispered. Rose clamped down on it viciously.

Lily just smiled knowingly. "We'll see."

Rose walked out with a shake of her head. What exactly had just happened?

* * *

><p>She deliberated for some time on whether it was worth pretending to be incapacitated in the bathroom to get out of the Prefects' meeting – she was sure she could coax a puking pastille out of James is she really tried. Anything to avoid seeing him, and her, the two of them sitting together in their matching Slytherin uniforms… anything had to be better than that.<p>

In the end she decided that not showing up would only make her seem childish and immature, and he would know exactly why she hadn't come, and for some reason the prospect of that seemed even worse than facing him. She would simply put on a brave face and be done with it. Hopefully there wouldn't be much to discuss and they would be finished in a few minutes.

The effect of her dawdling in the corridor deliberating all this was that she was several minutes late to the start of the meeting. She felt the eyes of every single Prefect on her as she walked into the compartment, most of them reflecting some form of surprise. It wasn't like Rose Weasley to arrive late to anything, let alone a Prefects' meeting. She ducked her head and slipped in next to her fellow Gryffindor Prefect Cam Finnigan, muttering an apology under her breath.

"Nice of you to join us Rose," said the Head Girl Eliza, her voice carrying just the slightest hint of disapproval. "Right, well, shall we get started?"

"Eliza and I just wanted to say thank you for making this year run so smoothly for all of us," said Todd McMillan. "We've really enjoyed being Head Boy and Girl and we hope…"

Roes gazed at the floor, tuning out completely. She hadn't dared look at Scorpius when she entered, but now she couldn't help but let her eyes travel across the compartment to what she knew were his shoes. She knew they belonged to him because they were so obviously expensive and impeccable. As if a Malfoy would ever deign to have scuff marks on his shoes. As she watched, one of his feet tapped restlessly. She blinked and looked away, just in time to catch the end of Todd's speech.

" – Professor McGonagall will be here in a few minutes to listen to your reports. So if you could just pair up with your partners and think a bit about what you're going to say, that'd be great."

Her eyes darted up of their own accord, and she found herself looking straight into Scorpius' grey ones. He wore a curious expression, as though he couldn't decide whether to smirk or scowl. She tore her eyes away and looked at Cameron.

"Partners? The report!"

He eyed her in concern. "It's not really a surprise, is it?" he said. "We've known we were gonna have to do this for ages." When she just continued to gape at him his brow furrowed. "Are you okay Rose? You look like you're going to be sick."

Before she could answer, another voice cut in. "You're in my seat, Finnigan."

Cam looked up, his expression instantly hostile. "Sod off Malfoy. I'm talking to Rose."

"I can talk to Rose," replied Scorpius coldly. "It's my job, after all."

"Partner up guys!" called Todd.

Cam shot Rose a sympathetic look, before mouthing 'good luck' and getting to his feet to go and sit with his own partner. He made sure to bump Scorpius as he passed.

Rose had a sudden urge to laugh hysterically. She had forgotten all about the stupid Harmony lessons over the course of exams and all the ensuing drama. She vaguely recalled Professor McGonagall mentioning that she didn't need to do the report anymore. But maybe the Headmistress had changed her mind, otherwise surely Todd or Eliza would have said something? Maybe –

"Going to ignore me forever, are you?"

His voice was achingly familiar. It scared her how pleasant it felt to have him sitting next to her.

"N-no."

"Good. Any idea what we're going to say?"

A thousand possibilities flashed through her mind, all of which she discarded just as quickly. She laughed without humour. "Define idea," she said flatly.

The other pairs around them all seemed to have things to talk about, and every now and then a peal of laughter rose above the chatter. The Harmony lessons had been an unqualified success, then. Even Cameron and Flora appeared to be getting along. And in a way, she supposed it had worked for her and Scorpius as well. She knew more about him now than she would ever have dreamed was possible at the start of the year. Why was she mad at him again?

"It was always you, you know," he said softly, his voice startling her out of her thoughts.

Oh yeah, that was why. Rose narrowed her eyes. "_Always _is a bit of an overstatement, I'd say."

"I wouldn't."

She wanted to look at him so badly, but she couldn't seem to lift her eyes. "I think, when you were, uh… physically…" Merlin, what was she even saying? That conversation with Lily must have gone to her head. "I doubt I was on your mind then."

He sighed. When he spoke, his voice was low and deep, little more than a murmur. "You know what I mean."

It suddenly occurred to her that this was probably the last time she would see Scorpius for several months. The thought hit her like a bludger to the stomach. She didn't want them to leave angry with one another. "Yeah, I know."

The compartment door opened once more, and Professor McGonagall strode in, looking as formidable as ever despite her great age. It was strange to see her outside of Hogwarts; in Rose's mind she had become as permanent a fixture of the castle as the suits of armour or Nearly Headless Nick.

"Good afternoon, Prefects."

"Good afternoon, Professor," they intoned obediently. Her lips twitched at this, and she settled herself in between Todd and Eliza. Her eyes fixed on each of the students in turn. Rose couldn't hold her stare; she dropped her eyes to the floor, ashamed of herself.

"Please proceed."

"Right." Todd clapped his hands together. "Well, as you all know, based on your feedback and the results of this year's experiment, this kind of thing may be rolled out across Hogwarts next year. Professor McGonagall believes, as do Eliza and myself, that House distinctions have divided the students of Hogwarts for far too long. This has been an attempt to bridge that gap. So we're very keen to hear your honest feedback about how you found it. Shall we start with the fifth years?"

One of the fifth year pairs perked up: a Ravenclaw girl and Slytherin boy whose names Rose didn't know. "Well," began the girl tentatively, eyeing her partner. "It's been really good, actually. At first we weren't so sure, because we'd never really spent any time together before. But it turns out we have a lot in common. Steven and I are both really into Wizarding Chess, so we spent most weeks playing that."

The boy, Steven, nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it's been great," he said. "It's nice to get to know someone from outside of Slytherin for a change. And we share a lot of the same classes, so we've been able to help each other with our homework too – " he broke off, and flushed, as though worried he may have said too much.

Professor McGonagall smiled wryly. "Very good. Next?"

Rose began to fidget. What were they going to say? They hadn't actually made it that far. She shot a quick glance at Scorpius, but he appeared to be listening to the other pairs speaking. She could fake her way through, sure. But it wouldn't feel very good. And Professor McGonagall would know.

"That's really good to hear," Todd's voice broke through her thoughts. "Now to the sixth years. How about we start with you two?"

Oh Merlin, he was looking at them. Rose swallowed. "Uh… " Everyone was looking at her. Cameron, Flora, Todd and Eliza. Professor McGonagall. She had to say something. Anything. "Um… " her mind drew a complete blank.

"It's been a very challenging experience," cut in Scorpius smoothly, his voice calm and collected as always. "I think sometimes the hardest part of getting to know someone is appreciating them as a real person, rather than as some caricature or collection of generalisations." He coughed and shifted a little next to her. "Realising that this is a real person, with flaws and all, can often be harder than pretending you know all about someone from a distance. Nobody's perfect, after all."

"Very well said, Scorpius," murmured the Headmistress. "And very true. Rose, do you have anything to add?"

"I… " his words had been for her. And she knew exactly what he was trying to say. "Yes, I do."

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows rose into her hairline. Clearly, she had been expecting an excuse. "Go on."

"I just wanted to add," she said slowly, imitating Scorpius' detached tone of voice. "That while it is one of the hardest things, it's also the most rewarding. Really getting to know someone, not just their flaws but also the things that make them unique, that make them special to you – " she choked. "That's – that's also good," she finished on a whisper.

There was a long silence, before the Professor spoke. "Equally well said, Miss Weasley. Congratulations both of you." Her eyes were kind and just a little bit smug.

Rose barely heard the rest of the reports. She couldn't concentrate at all. But she was acutely aware of Scorpius' presence beside her, and of the barely perceptible way he edged closer to her after she had spoken, close enough for his fingers to brush hers. And she felt the jolt of warmth and energy that ignited at his touch, and she knew that yes, the harmony lessons had been a success after all.

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><p>They waited together in the compartment as the rest of the Prefects made their way out, an unspoken agreement passing between them to stay behind. Professor McGonagall was the last to leave, and she gave them a genuine smile as she went. Then they were alone.<p>

For a long while neither of them spoke. Then, at last, Scorpius spoke, his voice very quiet.

"It's going to be a long summer."

He didn't ask if he was forgiven. Didn't mention her speech, or his, or their previous conversation at Hogwarts. And she was glad. Sometimes it wasn't necessary to put things into words. They both knew.

"Yeah." She looked down and realised with surprise that their hands were entwined. She hadn't even noticed them move. "Will I see you at all?"

He shrugged. "We'll be going to France at some stage, that's about all I know. I'll try and get a week at Albus' if I can. But I can't promise anything."

She nodded, trying to convince herself that it wasn't so bad. Nothing she hadn't done before. Just a few months and then they would be back at school. Outside, the land was changing, becoming more suburban, built-up apartment blocks taking the place of rolling farmland. They were nearly in London.

"There's the wedding, of course," he said, as an afterthought. Rose blinked. She had all but forgotten about Teddy and Victoire's wedding.

"You're still invited?"

"Of course."

There was a whistle, announcing their imminent arrival at King's Cross Station.

"Thank Merlin we still have another year left at Hogwarts," she said.

He squeezed her hand. When she turned her head to look at him, she saw that he was smiling. "Yeah."

He kissed her, and she melted into him, savouring the feel of it, storing it up for the months ahead. Everything would be alright. She just knew it.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews are loved and cherished. Please consider popping one my way to let me know you're reading - it's honestly the greatest motivation to keep writing, and it only takes about five seconds. **

**To all my regular reviewers, you guys put the awesomeness in awesome. Massive respect.**

**Till next time (won't be too long, I promise), ~A**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: This chapter got too long so had to be split into two. Second half won't be far away. **

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><p><em>The Wedding, part one. <em>

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><p>"Excuse me, excuse me!"<p>

Rose looked up from the elderly witch she was currently directing to her seat, to see a very flustered man standing before her, hopping from one foot to the other in his agitation.

She raised her eyebrows politely. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, something _is_," said the man, pushing his glasses further up his nose and giving her an annoyed look. "I came here with my mother, Madam Simone de Vasquez, who I'm sure you must have heard of."

He paused and looked at her expectantly. She opened her mouth and gave a non-committal huff of air, which seemed to satisfy him.

"Indeed. Well, for some reason she has not been included on the list of wedding guests. And now that _girl _over there is telling me that my mother and I cannot sit together. My mother is ninety-three, and a very well respected member of the Wizarding community, as I'm sure you're well aware. I won't have her treated like this by some teenager with an attitude problem!"

Rose followed the man's angry pointing to see Dom standing at the entrance of the marquee looking sullen. "I'm sorry," she said, raising her hands in what she hoped was a placatory manner. "I'm sure it's just an innocent mistake with the guest list, that's all. Of course there's a seat for your mother."

"There better bloody well be," grumbled the man.

It took less than a minute to rearrange the seating plan so as to put the man together with his mother, and after a few more complaints he wandered off, mollified by her copious apologies and assurances that it would never happen again. Rose gave Dom a pointed stare after he had left, but her cousin merely folded her arms and glared back. Rose grit her teeth and resisted the urge to snap at her.

"You could at least _try_ to be helpful," she said in a low voice, as more people came forward to be directed to their seats.

"I'm here, aren't I?" answered Dom sourly.

"Yeah, and you're being about as uncooperative as possible."

Dom tossed her head. "She wasn't on the list. What was I supposed to do?"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to smile, for starters," said Rose, flashing her own painfully forced grin at an approaching family.

"Whatever."

Rose sighed. She didn't want to start a scene here in the middle of the garden, surrounded as they were by so many people. But she was finding it increasingly difficult to bite her tongue. Dom wasn't even pretending to be happy. Her sulkiness was almost infectious; Rose could feel it poisoning the air around them like a cloud of unhappiness.

"Look, I know you're mad at me," she said under her breath the moment they had a second to themselves. Dom merely sniffed. "But can't you give it a rest, just for today? It's your sister's wedding."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Dom said in a strange voice, and when Rose looked at her she saw that her cousin's eyes were very bright. "It's the happy day, isn't it? How _could_ I forget? I mean, isn't this just wonderful – " she swept her hand around at the rows of seats, the enchanted bouquets of flowers, the pixies darting through the air – "Everything's happy and great, isn't that right Rose?"

There was something about the way she said all this that told Rose there was more to Dom's sulkiness than she was letting on. She eyed her cousin carefully. "Dom, what's this about?"

Dom didn't reply, but her eyes shifted of their own accord to somewhere over Rose's shoulder. She turned and scanned the crowd of people, unable at first to find anything out of the ordinary. Then she saw him. Calvin Davies, standing beside his father, his arm linked with a pretty brunette. He was smiling and moving his free arm back and forth as he spoke animatedly about something.

Her heart sank for her cousin and she found she was no longer angry at Dom at all. "Oh," was all she could think to say.

Dom seemed annoyed at having given herself away. She clenched her jaw and turned her face to the side so Rose couldn't read her expression. "Whatever. It's none of your business, anyway. You never tell me _your _secrets, so why should I tell you mine?"

"That's not – "

"Oh isn't it?" Dom practically snarled, spinning back round. "How long, huh? How long have you been sneaking around with Malfoy behind my back?"

Rose fidgeted, not quite willing to admit just how long it had been.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Rose?"

She shook her head. "No, I – "

"Remember me asking you about borrowing James' cloak?" Dom cut her off, her eyes fixed on Rose so that she felt somewhat like a rabbit caught in the spotlight. "It was for him, wasn't it? You borrowed it to sneak off and meet Malfoy."

Rose dropped her gaze, unable to stand how furious Dom looked. "Yes," she muttered miserably.

"And all that stuff with Charlie," Dom rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I didn't see it. I guess I just didn't expect you to be so stupid."

There was a painful silence. Rose didn't bother trying to argue. Instead she simply returned to what she was doing and let Dom do the same.

After a while, a bright flash of colour in her peripheral vision distracted her. Turning, she saw someone in eye-wateringly yellow robes pushing through the crowd towards them. A second later and she realised it was Lorcan.

"Great," muttered Dom under her breath. "Here comes the freak show."

Rose only had time to shoot her cousin an annoyed look before Lorcan was by her side. His dirty blonde hair paled in comparison to the sunflower yellow of his clothing; around his neck he wore a heavy silver chain ending with a spoke wheel.

"Hiya Rose," he gave her a quick hug before stepping back. "You look nice."

"Thanks. Er… so do you." That was only a slight embellishment on the truth.

Lorcan grinned. "Sunshine, for good luck. Mum says it's a Lovegood tradition."

"Tradition?" said a scornful voice, and Lysander Scamander appeared behind his brother. Unlike Lorcan he was wearing ordinary dress robes, and an annoyed expression. "It's about as traditional as Uncle Trelos and his nude acrobatics outside the Ministry. Why is my family so embarrassing?"

Lorcan didn't reply, just shrugged and stared at his feet. Rose was just about to open her mouth and tell Lysander where to go when another voice cut in before her.

"Well, _I _like it."

It was Dom. She had sidled up to them and now stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Lysander.

Lysander stared at her suspiciously. So did Rose. "You do?"

"Sure," she said, tossing her head. "I think it's sexy." As though to emphasise her point, she leaned up and pecked Lorcan on the cheek; his face went bright red. "Much more than boring old black, anyway."

Lysander was scowling. The muscles in his jaw worked as though he wanted to speak, before he turned and stalked off without another word. After a brief moment Dom did the same, returning to the line of guests. Rose stared at her, trying to understand her sudden change in attitude, before giving it up as hopeless.

"Well…" she said at last, shaking her head. "That was weird."

"Yeah," mumbled Lorcan, who was still beet red. The colour contrast between his face and his yellow robes was almost painful to behold.

"Erm, you haven't seen my brother, have you?" she asked, to break the tension.

"No."

"He's supposed to be here helping," she gave an exaggerated shrug. "But I guess he's found something better to do."

"Perhaps he's talking to the _Gernumbli,_" Lorcan suggested, sounding a little more like himself. "There's a marvellous infestation here at the Burrow, after all."

Rose blinked. "Uh… yeah, maybe."

"Listen," he said, sounding suddenly serious. "I've been meaning to ask you…" he trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip.

"What?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

His eyes flicked to something behind her before returning to her face. "Mmm… nothing."

She narrowed her eyes at his sudden change in tone. "Lorcan," she began. "What – "

"Just a question about Strumplings, that's all. It can wait."

"But – "

"I'd better let you attend to your guests," he interrupted, giving her a tight-lipped smile. "See you soon." He gave an odd little bow before ambling off in the direction his brother had gone, like a shining halo in the sea of duller colours. She stared after him for a bit, shaking her head at his queerness, before turning back to the crowd of guests.

Immediately she felt her stomach drop to her toes as she saw who was next in line. Scorpius and his parents were standing at the entrance to the tent, grouped together and standing out almost as badly as Lorcan. Mostly it was because the other guests were giving them a wide berth, some even going so far as to mutter and whisper behind their hands in a show of unabashed animosity. Scorpius didn't appear particularly concerned; he was looking directly at her, ignoring the stares and attention of the rest of the crowd, and something about his expression made her heart rate pick up of its own accord. Mr and Mrs Malfoy stood behind him, their arms linked and matching haughty expressions on both their faces; they moved forward with their heads held high, like a pair of nobles surrounded by peasants.

"Scorpius," she couldn't help the excitement in her voice at seeing him again. He looked wonderful, dressed in a set of immaculate dress robes, his blonde hair swept casually to one side. When he caught her eye he grinned crookedly, and she felt her heart flutter in response. "Mr and Mrs Malfoy. It's lovely to meet you both."

Draco Malfoy gave her an ironic stare, his eyes sweeping past her and surveying the inside of the marquee. Although he appeared as indifferent as ever, up close Rose could see how on edge he was; there was a muscle in his jaw twitching rhythmically and she could feel the tension radiating from him. Mrs Malfoy was a little friendlier; she gave her a warm smile and took her hand briefly in her own.

"You must be Rose Weasley," she said, her blue eyes looking her up and down. She was very pretty, and Rose felt suddenly quite self-conscious. She remembered what Scorpius had said about his mother working as a fashion designer in London, and hoped her dress held up to professional scrutiny. "Albus' cousin."

"That's right," she said with a smile. Being introduced as Albus' cousin seemed best at the moment. Rose resisted the urge to look back at Scorpius. "Would you like me to show you to your seats?"

"Where's your father?" asked Draco suddenly, fixing her with an icy gaze. "I can't see his painfully ginger head anywhere."

Next to her, Scorpius shifted restlessly, and Astoria gave her husband a disapproving frown. Rose took a deep breath, determined not to rise to the bait. She would be the better person. "He's probably still up at the house with Teddy," she explained patiently. "Most of the family are still getting ready. They should be down soon."

Draco merely grunted, and swept past her into the tent. After a moment, Astoria followed him. Scorpius paused briefly beside her.

"You look beautiful," he said under his breath, and she felt herself warm at his words. She looked up and held his gaze, fighting back the urge to kiss him.

"Thanks."

"Save me a dance, won't you?" he whispered, and followed his family inside, leaving Rose all but trembling in his wake. She smoothed her hair and suppressed a beaming smile, then turned and found herself staring straight into Dom's hostile blue eyes.

"So," her cousin bit out harshly, and Rose winced at the venom in Dom's voice. "You haven't come to your senses yet."

"Dom – "

"Leave it, Rose." Dom turned away, her expression hard and unforgiving. "I don't want to talk about it."

Her elation at seeing Scorpius vanished as quickly as it had come. Rose sighed and went back to directing guests, wondering why real life always had to be so complicated.

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><p>The wedding itself was a magnificent success. It could hardly have been otherwise, with such a beautiful couple and the full force of the Weasley-Potter machine behind them. Victoire looked radiant, and Teddy had outdone himself for the occasion; he wore his characteristic sandy brown hair, but there was something different about him, as though he had grown imperceptibly taller in stature, his shoulders just a fraction broader, and his hazel eyes sparkling with happiness.<p>

Afterwards, there was dancing, the tables and chairs pushed to the edge of the tent to create a large space in the centre. Teddy and Victoire had the first dance, swaying in each other's arms as though oblivious to the rest of the world. Soon others were joining in. Rose danced with Albus, and for a while she amused herself by deliberately stepping on his toes. After one song though he was claimed by a stunning Veela girl, and judging by the envious looks of some of the other girls, Rose doubted she would be seeing her cousin again anytime soon.

She could see Scorpius on the other side of the room, sitting at a table with his parents. He smirked when he saw her looking, and raised his glass in mock cheer. She rolled her eyes and was about to step out of the dance floor when someone else appeared at her elbow. A boy she didn't recognise.

"Hello," he said, giving her a somewhat arrogant smile. "My name is Jean."

She looked at him, trying to work out if she knew him or not. She couldn't remember ever seeing him at any family gatherings before. His accent was vaguely French, though not strong. She supposed he must be a distant relative of her Aunt Fleur. "I'm Rose."

"Yes, I know," he smirked. "Would you care to dance?"

She shrugged and gave him her hand. "Sure, why not?"

"Very good." He led her back onto the dance floor, his head held high in a slightly ridiculous manner. Unable to resist shooting another glance at Scorpius, she saw with a little squirm of satisfaction that he was no longer smiling. Instead he was frowning at her. Well, she thought smugly as she and Jean began to dance, it served him right.

"You dance very well," commented Jean, twirling her. "For an English girl."

She raised an eyebrow, not quite sure how to take this. He merely smirked and dipped her quite suddenly. Her heart thudded as she felt the ground rush toward her, and she clutched at his arm. His face was quite close to hers, and she felt a surge of discomfort.

"You look very beautiful tonight Rose," he said, lifting her slowly back to her feet.

She could feel the blood rush to her face, both from the abrupt movement and her embarrassment. "Thanks," she said a little shortly. His cocky smile was really beginning to get on her nerves.

"I mean it," he said, his brown eyes locking with hers. "You're breath-taking."

His flattery didn't feel half as good as Scorpius'. Rose shifted a little; she knew without looking that Scorpius was watching her. She could practically feel his scowl. "Thanks," she said again, automatically. "You look nice too."

The hand on her waist tightened slightly, pulling her a fraction closer. She coughed uncomfortably.

"Perhaps we could go outside for some fresh air?" he asked, and she felt herself tense.

"I don't think so."

He was far too close to her now, invading her personal space. "Just a little walk," he breathed. "You won't regret it."

She turned her head to the side in annoyance, trying to create a little distance between them. Her gaze snagged on Scorpius, and she resisted the urge to make a face. He must have read it in her expression, though, because he stood up abruptly and began pushing his way toward them.

By the time he reached them Rose was all but leaning backwards in an attempt to extricate herself from the situation. Scorpius came to a stop at her side and immediately took one of her hands, removing it from Jean's shoulders. Jean's eyes narrowed, and he didn't immediately release her. Instead he looked Scorpius up and down suspiciously.

"Can I help you?" he asked stiffly.

"I believe I'm owed the next dance," Scorpius intoned, gently pulling her in his direction. Beneath the politeness of his voice his eyes were ice cold.

"Our dance is not over yet," protested Jean. He frowned, looking first at Rose and then back at Scorpius. "I know you," he said at last in a slow voice. "You're the Malfoy boy."

"Oh well done," drawled Scorpius. "Your mother must be so proud."

"I – " Jean began, but Scorpius gave him his back.

"Dance, Rose?" he asked in monotone, putting one hand on her waist and dragging her toward him.

She went willingly, her gratefulness at being saved overriding her annoyance at his arrogance. "Thanks," she said when they were out of earshot. "There was no need to be rude about it, though."

He widened his eyes in mock innocence. "You think _that _was rude?"

She rolled her eyes, but bit her tongue from replying. In truth that Jean character had more than creeped her out, and she didn't care if she never saw him again. He was lost from sight at this point, and all thoughts of him vanished from her mind as the song started and they began to dance. It felt infinitely better, to be dancing with Scorpius. He was the perfect height for her to put her head on his shoulder, and for her arms to go around his neck. He smelt familiar and his chest just seemed to be inviting her to rest against it. Despite herself she leant into him, relishing the warmth and hardness of his body. He chuckled, and she felt the vibrations in his chest.

"What?"

"If looks could kill," he said in a tone half-serious, half-amused, "I'd be stone cold dead on the floor right now."

She raised her head, and saw that he was looking at something over her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw her father watching her, his eyes wide with shock and fury. He had his mouth open, as though he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

"Uh-oh," she said, automatically creating distance between herself and Scorpius, as much as was possible in a dance at any rate. "That's probably not the best way to introduce him to our relationship."

"At least your father and my father will agree on one thing," Scorpius said, twirling her easily.

"And what's that?"

"Their disapproval," he said darkly.

She looked up at him. "They'll just have to get used to it. They all will."

This time his smile was genuine. "That's more like it." And he pulled her back against him, his head tilted towards her so she could feel the warmth of his breath. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the moment.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks to all my reviewers. And a belated Happy Halloween ;P**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Merry Christmas all :)**

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><p><em>The Wedding, Part Two.<em>

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><p>When the song ended, she followed Scorpius over to the edge of the dance floor, helping herself to one of the floating butterbeers drifting past. Several of the people she passed gave her curious looks, no doubt surprised to see her side by side with Scorpius Malfoy. She stared boldly back, and didn't move away from him.<p>

Although they had gone in the opposite direction to her father, they had barely reached the outer ring of dancers when Ron appeared at their side. There was another man with him; a tall, stringy fellow Rose recognised as a fellow Ministry official.

"Rose," her father was scowling at her, the tips of his ears a bright scarlet. She took a sip of her drink and smiled back, wondering if he was really going to make a scene here in front of all the guests. Surely not… "I need to speak with you for a moment."

She didn't move. "Go ahead, dad."

Her father's expression darkened. "Rose," he began, in a dangerous voice that threatened a long lecture as soon as they were alone. "I don't think you quite understand what I – "

"Now now, Weasley, there's no need to be like that," said the other man. He was smiling jovially and appeared a little drunk. "Time enough for that later, isn't there? You look very beautiful tonight, young lady." He gave her a somewhat lecherous grin.

Rose choked, her heart hammering in her chest like a battle drum. The blood pounded in her ears and she felt herself freeze with shock. She knew that voice. She knew it like… like…

"Rose?" Scorpius was looking at her in concern, no doubt feeling her sudden stiffness beside him. "Are you okay?" he put a hand on her arm, and Ron gave a sudden jerk.

"Malfoy!" he said sharply, his voice very loud in the relative silence between songs. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Scorpius ignored him, still watching Rose. She was breathing in short, quick little gasps, trying not to panic, trying not to let the building fear overwhelm her. That voice. That voice. That voice that voice that voice.

"Rose?" he said, more urgently now. He bent his head so he was level with her. "What is it?"

"I… " she stared at the other man, who had not noticed her odd reaction. He was looking out at the crowd of dancers, his eyes slightly out of focus. "I… "

Scorpius followed her gaze, and his expression grew very serious. "What did you say your name was?" he asked the man, and his voice was hard and cold. The man blinked and focused on him, but before he could answer Ron cut in.

"Malfoy," he growled. "I think you should leave."

"No!" Rose clutched Scorpius' sleeve, panic coursing through her at the thought of him leaving her alone. Alone with this man whose voice was so terrifyingly familiar. So much so, that the sound of it had taken her straight back to that forest clearing, the memory as vivid as though it had happened yesterday.

Scorpius was glaring at Ron now. "I'm not going anywhere," he said roughly. "Or haven't you noticed your daughter's reaction?"

Ron spluttered, his gaze swivelling to Rose. For the first time he seemed to notice the look in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

The other man was paying attention too now. He looked wary all of a sudden, his small eyes darting back and forth between Rose, Ron and Scorpius.

"I… " Rose took a deep breath. She had to spit it out; she _knew _she was right. It was hard to think straight with her heart hammering so loudly in her ears. She felt Scorpius slip his hand into hers, and his fingers squeeze her own, and drew strength from his presence beside her. Looking straight at the man, she spoke in a clear voice. "I _know _you."

For several seconds there was silence. Ron was blinking in confusion. Then he shook his head with a laugh. "Well of course Rosie," he said in a patronising voice. "This is Mr Cheren, from the Department of Mysteries. You've probably seen him at work, or – "

"No," she interrupted him forcefully. "No, no I – "

Scorpius' hand was squeezing hers so tightly it was almost painful. "Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice, his mind already having made the connection as to what she was talking about.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I recognise the voice. It's the same."

Scorpius swore and an instant later his wand was in his free hand. The man, Mr Cheren, drew himself up to his full height, his eyes flashing.

"And just what is the meaning of this?" he demanded, looking first at Ron and then at Scorpius. "Are you threatening me, boy?"

Ron's face had gone a dangerous shade of purple. "Malfoy," he growled. "Put your wand away before I have you arrested. _Now._"

"No, Dad," she stared at her father, desperate for him to understand, the way Scorpius had. "This – this is the man from the forest! I recognise his voice."

Mr Cheren puffed out his chest in indignation. "What on earth are you talking about? What is this nonsense, Weasley?"

Ron shook his head, looking utterly perplexed. "I'm sorry, David," he said, giving Rose a pointed glare. "Rose, let's talk about this later."

"No, Dad, you don't under – "

"You're _embarrassing_ me, Rose."

She felt his lack of belief like a slap to the face. Rose sucked in her breath, and squeezed her eyes shut. Besides her, she could feel Scorpius tense with fury on her behalf.

"Mr Weasley," he said in a voice of forced calm. "You have to listen to your daughter. If she says – "

"My conversation with my daughter is really none of your business, Malfoy," said Ron coldly. Rose doubted he had even heard a word of what Scorpius said.

She opened her eyes, and stared at Mr Cheren. She was sure of it, could feel the certainty coursing through her veins. This was one of her attackers. "I remember you," she said darkly.

Mr Cheren gave her a scornful look. "Honestly," he huffed, wiping his hands on his waistcoat. "I thought you told me your daughter had some sense, Weasley. Doesn't look like it to me. Does she always spout nonsense or has she just indulged in a little too much champagne tonight?"

Scorpius made a furious motion. "You son of a – "

"Malfoy!" snapped Ron, his voice quivering with fury. "I am _this _close to having you thrown out. Please, get out of my sight. You too, Rose. We'll talk about this later. _Later!_" he barked when she opened her mouth again.

She span on her heel and fled, pushing her way through the crowd of dancers and ignoring their protests. She ran outside, past the people mingling in the warm summer night, until she had reached the side entrance to the Burrow and thrown herself inside. As she had expected, the small living room was deserted; no one else would think to come in here, not when it was such a nice night outside and the party was still in full swing. Her vision blinded by tears, Rose strode over to the table and kicked viciously at a chair leg. She was so angry she felt as though she wanted to break something. How could her father dismiss her like that? Did he think she would lie about something so serious? Her eyes burned, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand. She _wasn't _wrong, dammit!

The door opened and shut again; she twisted her head to see Scorpius standing in the middle of the room, looking at her. Fresh tears welled in her eyes at the expression on his face.

"He… he didn't believe me," she whispered angrily. "I _know _that was him! It's the same voice."

"I believe you."

Without even realising that she was moving, she found herself standing before him, and an instant later his arms went around her; she gave a choked sob as she rested her head against his chest.

"He's too busy being mad at you to even listen to me," she said.

"He'll listen to you, and he'll believe you," Scorpius said, in a tone of absolute certainty. "Your dad loves you Rose. You just caught him at a bad time. And now that you know who this guy is, your Uncle can have him arrested."

She shuddered as she thought about how close she had been all night to a man that had tried to kidnap her. Had he been the one who immobilised her? Or the one who stepped on her wrist? She clung harder to Scorpius, and felt his arms tighten around her in response.

"Scorpius?"

"Mmm?"

She lifted her head to look up at him. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there."

He shrugged. "It was nothing."

"No," she shook her head. "It wasn't nothing. It was… it meant a lot to me."

He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. "You'd have done the same for me."

Would she have? Rose felt guilt coil inside her at the thought of her own selfishness. "I love you," she blurted out, the words spilling out from somewhere deep inside her. She hadn't meant to say it, but neither did she want to take it back. It was just the truth.

She saw his throat bob as he swallowed. Against her chest, she could feel his heartbeat like the rapid thudding of a drum. The silence stretched. "I love you too," he said at last, a little hoarsely. His eyes were like pools of silver, taking up her entire vision. "In case you didn't already know."

The hesitancy in his voice touched something within her, and she reached up to kiss him. He responded instantly, his hands squeezing her waist and his lips massaging hers, deliciously familiar. She moaned and melted into him, surprising herself with her own abandonment. It was easy, so easy, to lose herself in him. She had known this would happen as soon as she saw him at the entrance to the marquee, and who was she fooling to try and deny herself? It felt far too right to resist.

Her hands crept up to tangle in his hair, and Scorpius deepened the kiss with a sound of approval. Slowly, their movements became hungrier, more desperate. Rose arched into him, breathing in the scent of him, almost intoxicated by his presence. She moaned as he pulled her tighter against him, relishing the firmness of his body.

She hadn't even noticed they were moving until she felt the edge of the drawing table hit the back of her thighs with a dull clunk. She broke the kiss to look around her, disorientated for a moment, and Scorpius took the opportunity to trail kisses down her neck. She leaned backwards with the contact until she was flat on her back on the table, his mouth tracing a searing line across her skin. Then he lifted his head and recaptured her mouth with a groan, and she closed her eyes, feeling her control slipping away from her and not caring in the slightest. This was what she wanted, everything that she wanted.

Using the table for support, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around him, aware of the deep throb within her when she felt him against her. Scorpius groaned his approval, one hand sliding down to grip her thigh, the other cupping her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. She pulled him closer, loving the pressure of him on top of her. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough…

Neither of them heard the door open, so lost were they in each other.

"Rose! What in Merlin's name – "

It took a moment for the words to permeate her foggy consciousness. She was vaguely aware of Scorpius' lips lifting from hers, and the sudden stiffness of his body. But she still didn't understand.

"Malfoy! Get your filthy hands off of my daughter!"

Scorpius lifted himself off of her very slowly, his expression frozen. He took several deep breaths to try and slow his ragged breathing, before stepping away from the table. Rose snapped her legs shut, her body mourning the loss of his warmth, before sitting up and pushing her hair back from her face.

The sight that greeted her was like something from a nightmare. Her father, his face a blotchy mess of red to match his hair, his features twisted into an expression more furious than she had ever seen before. She was overcome with a horrible sense of déjà vu, and it was as though Albus was discovering them all over again.

"Dad, I can – "

Ignoring her completely, Ron strode forward, grabbed the front of Scorpius' shirt with both hands, and slammed him against the wall.

"How _dare _you!"

"Dad, no!" she screamed at him, but he made no sign that he heard her.

"I can't believe you would even _think – _do you have _any _idea how inappro – "

"Dad!"

"What's going on here?"

Rose spun to face the open door, and to her horror saw Draco Malfoy's livid face silhouetted in the dim light. His eyes, narrowed in intense dislike, were focused on Ron, who still had Scorpius pinned against the wall.

"Let go of my son, Weasley."

"Your SON!" bellowed Ron, releasing Scorpius and rounding on Draco like an enraged bull. "Tell your _son _to keep his filthy pureblood hands away from my daughter!"

Draco's eyes snapped to Rose for the first time, no doubt taking in her mussed hair, flushed face and swollen lips. Then he looked back at Ron with a sneer.

"Perhaps if your daughter knew how to control herself and keep her legs _closed_."

Ron gave a roar and drew his wand. Rose covered her face with her hands in shame and humiliation.

"What's happening? What's wrong?" It was Teddy, Victoire hanging radiantly onto his arm. The two of them peered into the scene in the living room, the smiles slowly slipping off their faces. "Ron? Draco?"

Their shouts had attracted attention. To her horror, Rose saw Albus and Dom peering over Victoire's shoulder. The expressions on their faces made her want the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Behind them, more people were pouring out of the tent to see what was going on.

"This _boy_!" yelled Ron, pointing his wand at Scorpius, who glowered fiercely back. "Was in the process of – of trying to force himself onto my daughter!"

"DAD NO!"

"That's a lie!" shouted Scorpius, his face ghost-white and shaking.

Draco had his own wand in his hand now, and a very ugly look on his face. "Are you accusing my son of being a rapist, Weasley?"

Ron seemed to realise he had gone too far, because he huffed into a furious silence. They had attracted quite a crowd now. Teddy had his mouth open in shock; Victoire looked like she was close to tears. Rose didn't think she could possibly feel any worse. She caught sight of her mother elbowing her way through the narrow doorway and began to cry, the tears pouring silently out of her eyes.

"Come, Scorpius," said Draco, his wand still in his hand. "We are leaving this pitiful garbage dump at once. I should never have let you talk me into coming here in the first place."

Scorpius glanced at her, his expression bitter. "Father I – "

"Come, Scorpius."

"That's right, get out!" shouted Ron, his face reddening once more in catching the glance between Rose and Scorpius. "And don't you dare come back!"

"Ron!" this was Hermione's shocked voice from the doorway. But it was too late for her to diffuse the situation with calm words. Ron looked close to murdering someone, and Draco seemed to be weighing up whether or not cursing him would be worth the consequences.

"_Come, _Scorpius."

There was silence as all eyes fixed on Scorpius Malfoy. He hesitated, his eyes lingering on Ron's stubborn glare before flicking to his father. Rose begged him silently to look at her, so she could show him how sorry he was, but he seemed to have decided to avoid her gaze. After a moment, he strode toward his father, cutting through the crowd of onlookers without a second glance. Even Albus, his best friend for over six years, he ignored completely.

Within a few seconds they were gone, and Rose was left alone with her family and the other guests. She bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"Good riddance!" shouted Ron, loud enough for his voice to carry outside. "I should never have let them come in the first place."

"Dad please!" she practically screamed, her voice breaking and a wave of hysteria threatening to overwhelm her. This was not how her family was supposed to find out. This was all so wrong.

"Oh honey," her mother had reached her now, and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's alright."

"No it's not," she sobbed, swiping furiously at the tears that wouldn't stop pouring out of her eyes. "Dad's ruined _everything._"

"Me?" seethed Ron, beginning to pace up and down the living room like a caged hippogriff. "_Me?_ Oh no, you are not going to blame this on me. _You _were the one who – who – " he spluttered to a halt, seemingly having no words to describe what she had done.

"I don't understand," said Hermione wearily as she rubbed Rose's arm. "I thought you and Scorpius – "

"They've been doing this for months," cut in Dom, and everyone's eyes snapped to her at once. Her cousin looked as angry as Rose had ever seen her, her blue eyes flashing in disgust. "Sneaking around. _Lying _to everyone. Going behind their best friends' backs, even when they promised not to. Pretending to hate each other when it's all just a giant lie."

James and Fred had appeared in the doorway, their faces barely visible in the background. They both wore identical, dismayed expressions. "Is that true?" James asked in a harsh voice.

"I… I… "

"Answer the question," growled Ron threateningly. "Is it true? Have you been sneaking around with Malfoy behind everyone's backs?"

"Alright everyone," said Hermione in a loud voice, placing herself in front of Rose so that she was partly shielded from the crowd. "I think that's enough for now, don't you?" She shot her husband a furious look. "Or have you forgotten we're at a _wedding?_"

"Exactly!" Victoire tossed her head indignantly, her hands on her hips. "Couldn't we forget about the family drama for just _one _night and let me enjoy my wedding?"

For the first time that evening Ron looked genuinely abashed. "Right," he said. "I'm sorry. I'll speak with my daughter later. For now, let's just enjoy the party."

"Show's over everyone," her mother announced, before turning around and prying Rose's hands away from her face. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"

She took a deep breath then exhaled, forcing herself not to break down while there were still so many people watching. The crowd was starting to filter back outside now, Teddy and Victoire leading the way back to the dancing tents. Albus and Dom had put their heads together, and seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion. Rose watched them miserably – of all the reactions, Dom's had hurt her the most. Her father's, she could have anticipated, even if she had prayed for it to be different. But for her cousin to out her like that in front of everyone…it was possibly the worst thing she'd ever done to her.

As soon as she trusted herself to speak, Rose pushed herself away from the table and looked at her mother. "May I please be excused?" she asked in a watery voice.

"Excused?" Ron paced toward her, but kept his voice lowered. "Young lady, you are _grounded _for the _rest _of the summer! And we are going to have a serious talk about this."

She stared at him, remembering the reason she had run into the living room in the first place. Her eyes narrowed on her father, and he looked a little taken aback.

"You didn't listen to me," she said accusingly. "I tried to tell you that that man attacked me, and you didn't listen!"

Hermione's eyes went round in shock, before she turned to her husband. "_What?_" she hissed.

Ron spluttered. "That's – that's not – you weren't making any sense, and Malfoy was waving his wand around like a lunatic and – "

"Scorpius had his wand out to _protect me_!" she screamed back at him, her hands curling into fists. She didn't think she had ever been this angry at her father; she barely wanted to look at him right then. "Because he believed me, because he – " she choked back a sob. Because he loved her.

"Hold on," Hermione raised her hands, looking first at her husband and then her daughter. "Rose, start from the beginning please. What exactly happened?"

"I – ," she swallowed, forced herself to slow down so that she made sense. "I was standing with Scorpius, and I heard that Mr Cheren speak. And I recognised his voice – he was one of my attackers in the Forbidden Forest. I know he was, I'll never forget. And I tried to tell Dad and he ignored me. So then Scorpius got mad, and Dad told us to leave, so we came in here and – and he loves me!" she said angrily. "He loves me and I don't know why you can't accept that!"

"Never mind that for a moment," said Hermione. "You're certain Mr Cheren was one of your attackers?"

Rose nodded, her eyes never leaving her father's face. Ron's eyes were wide with horror, as though the full reality of what he had done was just starting to hit him. His face had gone from bright red to very pale.

"Ron," Hermione said in a dangerous voice, and her husband's eyes snapped to hers. "Where is David Cheren now?"

Ron opened his mouth and closed it again. "He left," he croaked at last. "Said he had to have an early night. He left straight after…" he trailed off, looking stricken. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I should have listened. I should have – "

"Go the Ministry, quickly," said Hermione, and her tone was all business. "Get a track on him, make sure he can't leave the country. Get someone over to his house, before he can disappear. If we act fast then it won't be too late."

Ron nodded and raced to the fireplace. He dug out a pinch of Floo powder from the vase on the mantelpiece and threw it into the flames, which turned instantly green. Then he stepped in and called out 'Ministry of Magic', and in a flurry of flame he was gone.

In the silence that followed, Rose felt the enormity of what had just happened crushing down upon her. Scorpius was gone. His father had taken him away, and she would have to wait until the start of term to see him again. That was still a month and a half away. Rose squeezed her eyes shut as new tears threatened to fall. Now she was all alone.

Her mother came over and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. Rose leaned into her, feeling the ache in her chest grow and grow until it seemed to consume her.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's get you home," she said softly, helping Rose to her feet.

Rose didn't protest as her mum Apparated them both back to their house. As soon as her feet hit the floor all the strength seemed to leave her, and she slumped onto her bed, curling up into a little ball as the sobs ripped through her. The whole night had been ruined. And she hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye.

"It'll be alright," said her mother, smoothing her hair back from her forehead and taking her shoes off with a wave of her wand. She tucked the blanket over her. "In the morning. Don't worry love."

Rose buried her head in the pillow, and after a moment her mother got up and left her. Perhaps she was right – perhaps it would all be better in the morning. But at the moment it seemed dreadfully wrong.

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><p><strong>AN: Just want to say a big special thank you to my reviewers. I hope you all get lots of pressies from Santa cause you guys are super super awesome. :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Soooo, remember me? Yeah, don't ask me where the last 3 months went. I blinked and woke up halfway through my final year of university :S. Unfortunately for me, my professors are far less sympathetic than you guys when it comes to meeting deadlines. Somebody save me from procrastination!**

**This chapter takes place the next morning following the events of Chapter 34. I would not blame you for forgetting what the heck this story was even about. But I just want to say a massive shout out to all the people who've reviewed this story in the interim, bugging me for updates and reminding me that there were still lots of people who wanted me to continue. You guys are the only reason I found the motivation to sit down and actually write the darned thing, so I, and all the other readers, owe you massive props. **

**The problem with having such a long time between updates is the expectation grows with every passing week. I can't say whether I've delivered or not, but I can honestly say I've tried. I hope you enjoy! **

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><p>Her father returned home in the early hours of the morning. Rose was still awake when she heard him come in; she had been staring at the ceiling for hours, unable to sleep, her mind going over and over the events of the previous evening. At the sound of his voice she slipped quietly out of bed and padded to the door, opening it a fraction so that she could hear her parents' voices filtering up the stairs.<p>

"… completely cleared out," she heard her father say, his voice tinged with exhaustion. "No sign of him, must have apparated out the moment he got home. We contacted International Floo, but they're saying there's no trace of him." He sighed and Rose heard the chair creak as he sat down. "Harry made me come home."

"I don't blame him," her mother commented. "You look terrible."

"I can't believe I didn't listen to her, 'Mione," Ron went on, sounding older and sadder than Rose had ever heard him. "She tried to tell me, and I just – and now that bastard's got away, and I – "

"They'll catch him," Hermione cut in crisply. "He won't get away for long. But I do agree that you owe Rose an apology. And I think you owe someone else one as well."

There was a tense silence. "I just can't believe… " Ron began, and Rose could hear the glower in her father's voice. "My baby girl. With a _Malfoy. _Am I being punished? Is this some kind of sick joke the universe is playing on me, matching my daughter with – with one of _them_?"

Hermione clicked of her tongue. "Oh don't be so melodramatic, Ron! He seems like a lovely young man – "

"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd walked in on him with his paws all over Rose on the dining table – "

"And have you forgotten all the things _you _got up to when you were sixteen?" asked Hermione heatedly. "Rose is almost seventeen, she's not a baby anymore! You've got to let her grow up."

Ron sighed heavily. "I know," he muttered. "But she's not exactly making it easy. Of all the boys in Hogwarts, why did she have to choose _him_?"

Blocking out her mother's hissed response, Rose turned and crept back into her bedroom, not wanting to hear any more. The door shut behind her with a soft click, and for a moment she swayed where she stood, unable to face the prospect of the new day peeking through her drawn curtains. Her bed seemed miles away but somehow she managed to shuffle over to it, sinking onto the mattress and squeezing her eyes shut against the hazy grey light of dawn.

They hadn't caught Cheren, then. The thought of him wandering free made her feel sick, but she wasn't sure she had ever expected anything different. Her brow furrowed as she replayed the events of the previous evening. None of it made any sense. Why had he come to the wedding, when he must have known she would be there? Had her other attackers been there was well, mingling in the crowd like ordinary guests? Were they planning something? Her mind churned with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. Rose shivered and burrowed deeper in her quilts. Despite the balminess of the night, she suddenly felt very cold.

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><p>She slept late into the day, and none of her family came to disturb her. Even after she woke, she lay for a long time in silence, listening to the noises drifting through the walls. She could hear someone poking around in the kitchen; probably her mother. The rest of the house was quiet.<p>

Eventually she could delay no more, and dragging herself out of bed she shuffled over to her writing desk and pulled out a parchment and ink. She needed to write to Scorpius, to make sure that he was okay. In the turmoil over her own father she had almost forgotten that Draco had discovered them as well. But the memory of his face as he ordered Scorpius to leave chilled her, and she couldn't rest any longer until she knew for certain that he was alright.

Pig wasn't in his cage. Rose stared at the blank page before her, her fingers twitching around a quill as her mind wandered inevitably back to Scorpius. She barely knew where to start. It had only been a few hours since she was on that table, his body pressing down on her, his hands… Rose blinked. She knew that if her father hadn't interrupted them things would have quickly spiralled out of control. And, in reflection, she didn't know whether she would have minded – in fact, she was fairly certain the emotion churning within her as he had pulled away had been disappointment, not shame. That was a message she couldn't ignore, no matter how much it might displease her family.

_Scorpius, _she began, the ink shining as it caught a ray of sunlight filtering from between the curtains. It was a glorious summer day outside, filled with light and promise.

_I hope your father wasn't too angry at you… _

She crinkled her nose. That was a foolish hope. A more accurate sentiment would be, I hope your father doesn't murder you and dispose of your body in the backyard.

_My own dad is feeling so guilty about not listening to me that I don't think he can possibly give me a lecture about our relationship. _

This was true. Rose had already decided that no matter what, she wasn't going to let her dad lecture her about Scorpius. Her mind was made up and he wasn't going to change it.

_That was a pretty terrible end to the night. But at least Victoire and Teddy were happy. Anyway, it's not a proper Weasley get-together without drama, so I doubt anyone really minds. _

That was a blatant lie. Judging by the expressions on James' and Fred's faces, they most certainly minded. And Dom didn't appear to be getting over it any time soon. Never mind her Uncle George or Uncle Harry or all the rest of the family, who would most definitely know by now.

_I really hope your own family doesn't give you too hard of a time. I meant what I said last night Scorpius. I love you. _

She took a deep breath and forced herself not to vanish that last sentence with her wand. She had said it last night, and she _had _meant it. And he had said it too. That thought alone gave her enough courage to keep the words there.

_Write me back as soon as you can, so I don't worry that your father has locked you in a dungeon or something. I hope I see you soon. Love, Rose. _

Rose sat back and re-read what she had written. It was hardly profound, exhaustion and worry having effectively robbed her of her eloquence. But it would have to do, because she didn't have the patience to write anything more until she had a reply.

Pig had returned while she wrote, and now fluttered erratically around her head, no doubt sensing that he was required. Swallowing her unease, Rose rolled up the scroll and tied it to her owl's leg.

"Take this to Malfoy Manor," she instructed him, and Pig gave her finger an affectionate nip. Then he was off in a blur of feathers and excited chirping, through the open window and into the blue sky.

There was a soft knock on the door. Rose stiffened, waiting for whoever it was to speak.

"Rose?" Her mother called at last in a tentative voice. "Honey, are you awake?"

Rose opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it again without a word. She sat still and silent until she heard her mother sigh and move away back down the stairs. Then she crept back to her bed and scurried under her covers once more.

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><p>The days passed. Rose spent most of the time in her room, reading or preparing for her upcoming final year at Hogwarts. Since her seventeenth birthday was still two months away, she remained forbidden from using magic at home; but that had never stopped her from studying before, and now more than ever she was desperate for the distraction, seeking out a haven of books and study notes to ease the slow passing of time without news.<p>

Her parents didn't talk to her about David Cheren, but from the snippets of conversation she overheard she gathered that he was still on the run. That and the fact that she imagined his arrest would be the first thing they told her about. Her Uncle Harry came round once or twice, looking as worn-out as her own father, and a pair of Ministry officials arrived to interview her over lunch one day; but there was no sign of any breakthrough.

There had been no reply from Scorpius. Rose tried not to let this bother her – he was no doubt very busy, and perhaps he didn't want to antagonise his father any further by writing to her. She tried to console herself that it was only a few weeks until they would be back at school, and then they could work out what to do together free from parental interference. Her own father scowled darkly on the rare occasion the conversation drifted near to any mention of Scorpius, and so she could only imagine how Draco was reacting. It seemed all they could do was wait for the sanctuary of Hogwarts. Never before had summer seemed to drag so long; she counted down the days with agonising impatience.

It was the matter of Scorpius' reply that was occupying her mind the morning that the post from Hogwarts arrived at their home. Rose was seated with her brother at the breakfast table, poking miserably at a now soggy bowl of cereal and wondering for the hundredth time whether she should send another letter to Malfoy Manor, when Hugo's head perked up moments before a loud tapping shattered her inner wrangling. Rose glanced up, saw the pair of tawny owls perched on the windowsill, and went back to her breakfast with a sigh. She felt more than saw the glare her brother sent her way as he scraped his chair back to go and open the window.

"Guess these are the book lists," he noted as he relieved the birds of their burdens and walked back to the table. He dropped the letter marked 'Rose' besides her bowl, before tearing open his own. "Oh, wow."

"What is it?" she asked, not even bothering to reach for her envelope.

"I've been made a Prefect."

Rose lifted her head, a smile growing on her face for her brother's sake. Hugo's eyes were wide with surprise, the badge that had accompanied his letter clasped loosely in one hand. "Congratulations," she said. "You deserve it."

"Didn't think I'd get it, to be honest," he shrugged, beginning to pace around the room in his excitement. "I mean, I mucked around a bit and there was that detention with Louis and – " he paused, and ran a hand through his untidy mop of auburn hair. "Dad'll be proud, won't he?"

"Of course," she answered at once, somewhat surprised that he had to even ask such a thing.

Hugo stopped his frantic movement, his eyes sweeping the kitchen as though he had only just noticed something. "Mum and dad are already at work, aren't they?" he asked.

"Erm… I guess." Truth be told Rose had taken to avoiding her parents most of the time, finding it all too awkward to converse with them. Her father was still mad about Scorpius, and her mother was worried. She could talk to neither of them about her own anxiety and so had stopped caring whether they were around or not.

"Figures," grunted Hugo, his shoulders slumping and the excitement in his eyes dimming as he fell back into his seat and pulled his breakfast towards him once again. The badge sat beside him on the table, gleaming innocently in the early morning light.

"Hugo," she began tentatively. He scowled at her tone and didn't look at her. "They're really busy right now. Things are crazy at the Ministry."

"Things are _always_ crazy," he retorted in a hard voice. "Things will never _not _be crazy."

She reached across the table and rested a hand on his arm; he tensed but didn't pull away. "Hu," she said firmly, catching and holding his eye. "They're so proud of you. You know that, right?"

"Where are they then?" he demanded, looking around the empty kitchen with sarcastic confusion.

"Just cause they're not here right _now_ doesn't mean they're not proud," she responded in frustration.

Hugo stared at her for a while, grinding his jaw. "They're _never _here, Rose," he said at last. "Neither are you."

She blinked at him in confusion. She had barely gone anywhere the past fortnight! "What are you talking about? I've been here almost every single day – "

"That's not what I mean," he retorted, shifting his arm out of her reach. "You're not _here, _Rose. You're wandering around in this daze half the time, and the other half you're locked in your room writing letters."

She flushed. So Hugo had noticed that, had he? "I'm studying," she attempted half-heartedly, giving up at the look he sent her.

"Whatever." His chair scraped again as he got to his feet. "I'm going to visit Lily."

"Hugo – "

"Later, Rose."

Rose slumped back in her seat, feeling even more miserable than usual. Her eyes drifted onto the table, to where the gleaming Prefect badge still lay besides the torn envelope, and she sat up straight.

"Hugo, you forgot your – "

But the rushing of the flames in the fireplace told her she was too late.

With a groan, her eyes turned to her own letter, lying forgotten on the table. She glared at it sullenly, before giving in and reaching for it. Merlin knew she needed _something _to distract her, and if a book list and study materials were all that was available, well she'd just have to take it.

She unfolded the parchment and scanned the list of required books and instruments with disinterest. She had seen it all before and the only vaguely remarkable items were some of the more unusual potion ingredients. Besides that there was nothing to catch her –

She froze, her heart thudding as all at once she noticed that, like Hugo, a badge had been included in the bundle of papers sent from the school. It had fallen in to her lap and she had hardly even registered its presence. Now, her eyes were drawn like magnets to its shining surface, raking over the letters several times before their meaning permeated her brain.

_H.G. _

For a long time she simply stared at it, a myriad of conflicting emotions running through her. In the chaos of the summer and Teddy's wedding she had all but forgotten her long cherished dream of being made Head Girl, and now she wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. Happy, that her wish had come true? Rose knew that was how she _should _feel. But in truth all she could think was whether Scorpius had been made Head Boy, and the horrible conversation she had held with Professor McGonagall, about Scorpius' misdemeanours and how it might have jeopardised his chances. And she saw again the moment when he had dropped Charlie Corner into the Lake, and his expression when she had met him outside the Headmistress' office. A churning fear rose up within her that someone else would be chosen over him, and she fidgeted in her seat, desperate to know whether he had been given the position.

Unable to bear it any longer, Rose darted from the table and sprinted up the stairs, practically falling into the seat at her desk. There was a blank piece of parchment just sitting there in anticipation, as there had been every day over the last few weeks. Rose forced herself to take a deep breath, not wanting her hand to shake and betray her nerves through the smudged ink.

_Scorpius,_

_ I just got my Head Girl badge in the post. Please tell me you've been made Head Boy. I can't imagine they'd choose anyone else, but – well, just let me know. _

_ I'm dying to hear from you. _

_ Love, _

_ Rose._

Impatient, she rolled the note hurriedly, not bothering to let the ink dry. "Pig!" she rapped out, and her bird gave a small chirp in response, flapping its tiny wings in an indication that he was ready.

"Take this to Scorpius," she commanded him as she tied the note. Pig nipped her finger affectionately, before taking off out of the window. Rose sat back in her seat with a sigh. All she could do now was wait.

* * *

><p>"But this is wonderful!"<p>

Her mother's face was radiant, lit up with happiness in a way Rose couldn't remember seeing for a long while. With both she and Hugo being sent badges, a family celebration had been called for. The Potters were joining in as well, since Lily had also been made a Prefect. They were all going round to Harry and Ginny's to celebrate, and Hermione insisted they both wear their badges.

"I'm taking it off as soon as I'm out of the fireplace," Hugo grumbled as he stood at her side, allowing Hermione to take one more photograph of her children. "And if she asks where it is I'll say James and Fred nicked it."

Rose snorted, then hastily covered the sound with a cough. "I might steal your idea," she whispered back. Her parents' gushing was annoying but not unexpected, and Hermione had been stressed enough recently that Rose couldn't begrudge her an excuse to celebrate. Still, that didn't mean she was going to be wearing her badge all night either. Pride had its limits, and as far as Rose was concerned those limits were the edge of the family's fireplace.

"Alright, enough photos," Ron laughed, slipping an arm around his wife's waist and gently lowering the magical camera. "Or we'll never get there. We wouldn't want the Prefect and Head Girl to be late now, would we?" He leaned in and kissed Hermione, and Rose and Hugo both made gagging sounds until their parents pulled apart.

"Let's go, shall we?" Hugo had the pinch of floo powder ready to throw into the flames. At a nod from his father he did so, and the fireplace turned an instant green. Stepping inside, Hugo called out 'Potter Residence' before vanishing in a flurry of emerald flame. With a final smile at her parents, Rose prepared to do the same.

A blur of fireplaces later, and she found herself in the Potters' living room, standing amidst a crowd of relatives and friends, all of whom hurried to congratulate her as soon as she stepped out of the fireplace. Hugo had already vanished, no doubt gone to find more enjoyable company. The living room appeared to have become the haunt of the adults; Rose could see her Uncles Bill and Percy, her grandparents Molly and Arthur resting together on the sofa, and Teddy deep in discussion with Harry in the far corner. She hesitated, taking a deep breath as they all turned to look at her, waiting for the barrage of questions and comments to come her way.

A second later she felt a hand touch her elbow, and a familiar voice whisper in her ear, "Looking for a quick escape?"

A grin split her face, and she turned to throw her arms around her cousin. Albus laughed as he absorbed the force of her impact, ruffling the top of her hair affectionately. Rose had to choke back a sob as a wave of relief washed over her at the fact that her cousin was still speaking to her.

"Ugh…" she muttered, drawing away and smoothing her hair back to hide the fact that she had almost burst into tears. "You're stupid."

"Me? Stupid?" Albus gave her a look of deep offence. "Says the one blubbering like a baby over absolutely nothing."

She glowered and whacked him playfully. He grinned in response and grabbed her wrist, tugging her in the direction of the kitchen. "Come on," he said. "Before Gran and Gramps decide to take you hostage and gush over your badge for the next twenty minutes."

He led her through the kitchen, where Ginny and Angelina were gossiping while preparing dinner. They stopped talking when they saw Rose, and shared a meaningful glance before breaking out into identical cheesy smiles.

"Lovely to see you Rose," said Ginny, waving her wand and causing a pot of water on the stove to start boiling instantly. "And congratulations on getting Head Girl."

"Thanks, Aunt Ginny," she responded automatically. Her heart was beginning to pound under the weight of their scrutiny, and her palms felt clammy with sweat. It was the nerves, she realised, of just waiting for them to ask about Scorpius.

"Do you know who'll be Head Boy?" asked Angelina. Rose felt her stomach drop and opened her mouth to respond, but Albus cut her off.

"Well it certainly won't be me!" he announced cheerfully, earning a frown from his mother. Tugging Rose along with him, he made a beeline for the door that opened onto the large backyard, swiping a plate of sausage rolls that had just emerged from the oven as he went and ignoring Ginny's exclamation. Before Rose knew what was happening she was outside, the cool night air hitting her face as Albus dragged her along behind him.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere quiet," he replied, and she was surprised at the change in his voice. Gone was the light-hearted tone; now he sounded quite serious. "Somewhere we can talk properly."

She sighed and followed him along, secretly grateful for his support; she still had no idea how she was going to answer the inevitable questions about Scorpius when they arose. How could she, when she hadn't heard a word from him since the wedding?

They stopped at last at the very back of the Potters' garden, underneath an old and weathered oak tree where they had often played as children, enjoying its seemingly endless spread and undergrowth. In later years an assortment of beanbags had been set beneath its branches, equipped with drying enchantments and weather protection to ensure their timelessness. It was into these that they sank, Albus balancing the plate of sausage rolls on his lap and biting into one with a satisfied sound.

"So," he said after he had chewed and swallowed. "Have you heard from him?"

She frowned into the darkness. "Nothing," she admitted, relieved to finally have someone to talk to about it. "I've sent him two letters, and got no reply to either of them."

"Me neither," said Albus. "I think maybe they've gone away."

Rose's heart leapt as she latched onto this perfectly reasonable explanation. Of course! "He did mention he was going to France," she said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice at having finally solved the mystery. How could she have been so stupid? All this time, she had been worrying over his lack of reply, when it was only because the letters hadn't been reaching him at all. Why hadn't she realised it sooner?

"Yeah," Albus' tone was distinctly lacking any enthusiasm. "I guess. Never stopped him replying before though."

"Well, we'll be back at Hogwarts soon enough anyway," she assured him, suddenly feeling far happier than she had in weeks. "It's not so long and everything will be back to normal."

"Normal?" snorted Albus. "With you as Head Girl? Hogwarts will have never seen such a tyrant."

"Ha-ha," she drawled.

"Seriously though, do you think he'll be made Head Boy?"

She swiped one of the sausage rolls from his plate and bit into it with a shrug. "I hope so," she confessed. "I don't know who else they could make it."

"Cam Finnigan?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Nah. He's too disorganised. And his grades aren't good enough."

"Charlie Corner?"

"Don't even joke," she snapped, whacking him with her free hand. Albus snorted.

"Don't think McGonagall has that kind of sense of humour anyway," he said. "I reckon it'd have to be Scorpius. But I can't say I'm looking forward to him moving out of the dorm."

She smirked, before growing serious as a wave of sadness washed over her inexplicably. "What do you think of Draco?" she asked, trying to discern her cousin's expression in the darkness.

He took a long time in answering. "He's proud," said Albus at last. "But fair. At least that's what I've found. He seems to have a strange respect for my dad, but not…" he trailed off.

"But not mine," Rose finished for him. It was the unspoken admission.

"He works hard, and he expects a lot from Scorpius," Albus went on. "He won't like it at first – you and Scorp. And he'll take a lot of convincing. But I reckon once he gets to know you, he'll be alright about it."

She highly doubted it, but resisted voicing her thoughts on the matter. Scorpius had told her that he didn't care what his father thought, and that was enough for her.

The sound of loud voices from the living room interrupted their comfortable silence. It sounded as though someone had just arrived. Sure enough, moments later the backdoor reopened as Hermione stuck her head outside.

"Rose?" she called out, head swivelling as she peered around the dark yard. "Rose the Scamanders are here. Do you want to come and say hello?"

She hesitated, before getting up with a groan. "Should go and say hi to Lorcan at least," she said, stretching and offering Albus a hand, which he made no move to take. "Coming?"

"What, and abandon this entire plate of sausage rolls? Who do you think I am?" he grinned at her, and she smiled back. It felt like the first time in months that she had exercised the muscles on her face. "Reckon I'll stay here and polish these off first."

"Suit yourself," she shrugged. "See you soon."

She found the Scamanders in the living room. They were so bright and colourful they were easy to spot; Luna had on a fiercely orange mumu emblazoned with bees, while her husband wore swamp green dress robes. At their shoulder was Lorcan, rather tamely dressed in comparison in mud brown jeans and a psychedelic spiral shirt. Lysander had already vanished.

She approached them with a grin, glad to see her old friend again. She had hardly spoken to Lorcan at the wedding, and even that felt like months ago.

"Rose!" Lorcan's face brightened as he saw her, and he gave her a brief hug. "I was hoping you'd be here."

"Ah Rose, lovely to see you dear," said Luna, peering at her rather disconcertingly over a pair of glittering spectacles. "Your mother is here, isn't she? I'm dying to talk to her about my recent adventures in Africa. We spent three weeks documenting the migrating patterns of the Rhodesian Harklump. Fascinating!"

"I see you've been made Head Girl," commented Rolf, nodding to her badge which she had forgotten to take off in all the commotion. He put a hand on Lorcan's shoulder with a smile. "The two of you will make a good pair."

Rose blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Lorcan shifted uncomfortably. He shrugged off his father's touch, before glancing at Rose. "I was going to tell you," he said in a low voice.

"Tell me what?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice level and not give away the churning that had started in her stomach.

Lorcan sighed. "I got it in the post last week."

The room seemed to shrink around her. Rose struggled to comprehend what Lorcan was telling her. All she wanted to do was clap her hands over her ears and run from the room. "Got what in the post?"

He sent her a look, but she needed to hear him say it. Needed to hear the words come straight from his mouth.

"Got _what, _Lorcan?"

He shoved a hand in the pocket of his jeans and drew it out. The letters of the badge caught the firelight much the same way as her own had.

_H.B. _

Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away furiously. The sounds around her seemed to dim, so that Lorcan's voice came from a great distance.

"Rose? Rose, are you alright?"

She turned and walked away without answering, stumbling blindly out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uh oh. *Ducks behind the sofa as the readers boo and throw rotten tomatoes*. Don't blame me peeps! I promised there was angst in this story and I intend to deliver it. **

**I'm a broken record but damn it I'm going to flog that dead horsejust a little bit more: I _love _your reviews. I write for you guys, and I love to know that it's appreciated. I don't actually deserve a single damned review after making you wait so long, but I'm gonna be shameless and ask for them anyway! So review, and maybe Albus will share his sausage rolls with you :D**

**~A**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: I have had parts of this chapter written for a looong time. I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with you! I'm also dying to know what you think so if you take the time to leave me a review it is super, super appreciated :)**

**Couple of peeps asked for a quick summary to get up to date, which in hindsight I probs should have provided after disappearing for so long. So to recap: Rose and Scorpius hook up at the wedding, the family finds out, showdown, Rose's attacker gets away, and Draco does his best impersonation of angry dad. Rose is made Head Girl, Scorpius goes AWOL, and Albus eats pastries. That's about it for key points, I reckon :P**

**Some of you are keen on a Scorpius POV chapter and I hear you! Let me tell you that he has a LOT to say about all these goings-on :P. So much so that I've decided I just couldn't contain him if I let him loose on this story - he would take it waaaay off track and it's gonna take long enough to get through as it is! So I'm thinking that when I've finished (or maybe before, depending on inspiration), I'll add some one-shots as an addendum to various parts of this story told through Scorpius' eyes. If people would want to read it...**

**Sorry for the long A/N. Now on with the story :)**

* * *

><p>She didn't go back outside. Albus would be waiting, but she didn't think she could face him right then. Instead she slipped quietly upstairs and into the guest bedroom where she normally slept when visiting the Potters. It was dark and quiet and blissfully empty. Rose sank into the soft mattress and closed her eyes, trying to sort through her emotions.<p>

Disappointment churned in her gut like a poorly digested meal. She had really believed Scorpius would be made Head Boy. He was the best candidate, a good Prefect, had outstanding grades… she clenched her teeth, hating to think that he had missed out on the position because of her. She thought back to Draco's words to her outside of the Headmistress' office. _Every time you and Scorpius happen to associate, trouble seems to ensue... _Her stomach clenched and she longed to see Scorpius herself, to talk to him and hear him reassure her that it wasn't her fault. What she wouldn't give to have him with her right then, not somewhere far away in France and out of reach.

But there was another reason for the guilt flowering in her chest. Rose gnawed her lip, hoping she hadn't upset Lorcan with her reaction to his news. Merlin only knew what his parents must think of her. More importantly, she didn't want her friend to think she was unhappy he had been made Head Boy. She _was _happy for him. It had just been such a shock, she hadn't known how to react. She had been so _sure _Scorpius would be given the position…

The door opened, and Rose glanced up. At first she couldn't make out who was standing there, silhouetted in the light from the hallway. But soon enough, as her eyes adjusted to the light, she began to make out features that were strikingly familiar: golden halo of hair, slender figure, and blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Dom?"

Her cousin hesitated on the threshold, looking as surprised as Rose felt. "I – I didn't know anyone was in here," she said in an apologetic voice. There was an awkward silence. "I can leave if you want."

"It's alright."

They regarded each other warily. Rose hadn't seen Dom since the wedding; memory of that night made her tense, and she waited for a barrage of angry words from her friend. But Dom's expression was tentative; her eyes were large in the dimness and, if Rose hadn't known any better, she could have sworn that her cousin seemed to be seeking her forgiveness.

"How – how have you been?" asked Dom at last.

Rose blinked at the question. "I…" she struggled for a suitable answer. "Good, I guess."

Dom hesitated a moment more, before stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. "I just wanted some peace and quiet," she offered, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's fine," said Rose, gesturing for her to come and sit on the bed. Dom perched herself on the end of the mattress, eyes looking anywhere but at Rose.

"Albus told me about that man," she said softly. "The one that attacked you."

Rose's stomach plummeted. "Oh, yeah." She picked at the stitching on the quilt cover, unwilling to revisit unpleasant memories.

"I'm so sorry Rose."

The earnest note in Dom's voice made her look up. She met her cousin's beseeching gaze, and wasn't sure what to think. "Sorry for what?" she asked guardedly.

"For being such a bitch," Dom went on, the words tumbling out of her in a rush. "I was so upset about my own stuff and – and I didn't know what to think when you told me about Malfoy. It was just such a surprise and… I didn't believe you and then I didn't know what to say. But that doesn't excuse the way I acted. I was a bitch, and I know it." She reached out and grasped Rose's hand, eyes overbright in the dimness. "I should have been there for you, instead of being angry and stupid. Then maybe – maybe we could have got that guy together. That's what a good friend would have done."

There was a long silence as Rose tried to take it all in. "Wow," she said.

"And – and I don't care if you want to date Scorpius," continued Dom uncertainly, as though unsure whether she was forgiving and wanting to hammer her point home while she could. "Really, I don't. I know I said those awful things about the two of you but I didn't really mean them, and you know that, right? If he makes you happy then I don't care and – and I'm sorry for acting like such a toff at Victoire's wedding as well."

Rose gaped. It was an outburst she hadn't expected, and she didn't quite know how to respond. "You were quite a bitch," she agreed with a wry smile. "Outing me in front of everyone like that. That was harsh, Dom."

Dom scrunched up her nose. "Ugh, yeah I suck. Honestly though, I think… I think I was a little jealous."

It took a while for the words to sink in. "Jealous?" scoffed Rose. "Of me?"

She shrugged. "We've always been a pair, right? And of that pair, you've always been the smart one."

"It's not like you're dumb, Dom," Rose interrupted gently, but her cousin shook her head.

"Yeah, but I'll never be as smart as you_ – _don't deny it," she added when Rose opened her mouth to interject. "You're the smart one, and I'm supposed to be the pretty one. No offence," she added hurriedly when Rose's eyebrows lifted.

"Oh none taken, I'm sure," she drawled back. "Do go on. I'm smart and you're pretty."

"Exactly," said Dom, either ignoring or not noticing Rose's sarcasm. "And then I was single, and you were sneaking around with a guy behind everyone's back. _Scorpius Malfoy," _she sighed, shaking her head. "Only one of the cutest guys in school. Not to mention totally off limits. And I was hanging out with a dumb jock who – " she gave a choked laugh, blinking rapidly – " well, an obnoxious, putty-brained idiot was how I believe you described him once."

Now it was Rose's turn to cringe. "We're both pretty harsh, huh?"

Dom gave her hand a squeeze. "Yeah. But we're friends, right?"

She nodded. "Always."

All at once Dom pulled her into a fierce hug. "I've _missed _you Rose," she mumbled, and Rose was surprised to hear tears in her voice. "I've gone all summer with only Victoire and Louis for company, you have _no idea _how tedious that gets after a while!"

"Hey, you're talking to Hugo's older sister here," she replied, her own voice less than steady. It felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, to be back on good terms with her cousin, even more so than making up with Albus had been. Despite everything that had happened between them Dom was still the one who understood her best; the one she could talk to about anything. She knew exactly how to hurt her but she also knew exactly how to be her friend.

"Seriously though," said Dom, pulling away. "You do realise that being smart _and _having a cute boyfriend makes you essentially perfect?"

Rose snorted. "Merlin, if this is how perfect feels then I pity anyone who aspires to be it. Anyway," she added on a more sombre note. "I don't know if you could classify Scorpius as my boyfriend. We haven't spoken since the wedding."

Dom frowned. "Why not?"

"He's… been travelling…" she had attempted to keep her tone light and worry-free but from Dom's look it was obvious she hadn't succeeded. "I don't know why he hasn't been replying," she admitted miserably. "But I know he hasn't been made Head Boy."

"Really?"

"They've given it to Lorcan instead."

"Oh," Dom's tone was a careful neutral. "But he wasn't even a Prefect."

Rose shrugged. Thinking about it was making the guilt churn in her gut afresh. "Guess McGonagall decided that didn't matter, since the – the Charlie thing."

There was a silence, as both of them thought back to the tumult that had been sixth year. "It's not your fault," said Dom softly, jerking Rose out of her thoughts. "I'm sure Scorpius doesn't blame you."

Her comments cut just a little too close to the bone. "Maybe," muttered Rose.

"And I mean, can you really imagine Malfoy as Head Boy?" Dom half-laughed, before catching sight of Rose's expression. "I mean, not that he _wouldn't _– you know – be good, or anything… "

Rose sighed. "You're probably right. Half the school still hates him. And can you imagine what some of the parents would say if a Malfoy was made Head Boy?" She shook her head. "I just thought we might have gotten past that… I _hoped _we could have gotten past that."

"Well, at least it's Lorcan, right?" said Dom in a cheery voice. "You two get along pretty well, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad we've made up," said Dom brightly, squeezing Rose's hand again. "It's good to talk to you Rose. But let's get out of this room. Enough sulking, I reckon."

Her cousin was probably right. There was no need to blow things out of proportion; so what if Scorpius wasn't Head Boy? That didn't meant they couldn't still spend plenty of time together. It wasn't as if Lorcan would mind if Scorpius visited. And they still had classes together, and patrol, and free time almost every day… "You're right," she agreed, straightening her shoulders. "I think Albus is waiting outside. With food."

"Albus, alone with food?" Dom snorted. "And you think it's still going to be there?"

Rose grinned. "Well, here's to hoping."

* * *

><p>Rose had never been so excited to push through the barrier for Platform 9 ¾ as she was that day. Not even in her first year had she been as keen to see the gleaming steam engine of the Hogwarts' Express, nor listen to the clamour of a thousand students beginning the new year.<p>

"Quickly, quickly," urged her mother, pushing Hugo in front of them as her eyes scanned the platform. "We're running late as it is."

Rose didn't care about that. Her eyes were darting through the crowd, her heart hammering so loudly in her ears it drowned out all other sounds. There were lots of familiar faces around her; she knew almost everybody now besides the first years, and even some of them she recognised from family visits. But there was no striking flash of blonde to catch her eye; no towering form cut its way through the crowd. Scorpius wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Rose ground her teeth in frustration. He must already be on the train. It made sense, since he was normally early and they were running late, as usual. He was probably already sitting in a compartment somewhere, waiting for her with a smirk on his face and a sarcastic quip about the state of her hair…

"Rose?" Her father's serious voice caught her attention. Reluctantly she tore her eyes from scanning the crowd, to focus on him instead. He wore a solemn expression, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," said Ron, lowering his voice as a group of chattering students walked past. "About… well, about Malfoy."

Rose stared at him, amazed that he had waited so long to bring it up. She had spent the last few days of the holidays waiting for the inevitable 'talk' about her relationship; clearly, her father had been dreading it as much as she.

"I know what you're going to say," she said quickly, cutting him off as he went to speak. "And I want you to know that it's not up to you to make my decisions for me. I respect your opinion, dad, but if I want to be with Scorpius you're not going to be able to stop me."

For a moment Ron looked stunned. He opened his mouth, before shaking his head. "You're all grown up, Rosie," he said in a voice laced with sadness. "How can I stop you doing anything? I just want you to be happy."

"And if that means being with Scorpius?" she asked, watching his expression carefully.

Her dad looked as though he was being forced to chew on something very bitter, but he didn't break eye contact with her as he responded, "And if that means being with Scorpius Malfoy then I guess – I guess I'll just have to get used to it."

Sudden affection surged in her heart, and Rose threw her arms around him. Ron grunted in surprise, before squeezing her back and kissing the top of her head.

"You be good, alright?" he whispered in her ear. "And if that boy does anything to hurt you, I want you to tell me straight away – "

"_Dad!_"

"Rose, quickly!" Hermione was calling her from the edge of the platform. Giving her father a quick kiss on the cheek, Rose turned and ran toward the train, dragging her trunk on board just as the whistle for departure blew. Leaving her bags in the corridor for a moment she raced into the nearest compartment, running to the open window and sticking her head out as the engines groaned to life.

"Mum! Dad!"

"Have a great term," called Hermione, her eyes shining as she hurried over. "It's your last year sweetheart, so enjoy it."

"But not too much," added her Dad, coming up and wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. From the expression on his face it was clear he was only half joking.

Rose eyed him sceptically. "You remember what I said?" she told him, making sure she held his gaze. "Please, dad."

Ron sighed. "I'll remember, Rosie," he said ruefully, running a hand through his hair. "Just be careful, please. I don't want to see you get hurt."

There was a grinding of gears as the train began to pull away. Rose felt the familiar lurch of excitement that greeted the start of a new year, and now her smile was entirely unforced. Soon, so soon, she would see Scorpius again. A matter of minutes, that was all…

She clasped her mother's hand briefly. "I love you Mum, Dad."

"Love you too."

She watched as they grew smaller and smaller, before pulling back from the window and nervously smoothing her hair. She couldn't wait any longer. Never mind about stowing her luggage, or finding her friends, or Lorcan. She had to _see _him. Even if he was cold, aloof and disinterested, it had to be better than not knowing.

Leaving her trunk dumped on the floor, Rose left the compartment and hurried into the corridor. It was still full of students, looking for seats or searching for their friends. Most of them were younger than her now, and drew away slightly when they caught sight of the gleaming Head Girl badge on her chest, clearing a path for her to walk through.

She didn't know where Scorpius was most likely to be, but decided to head in the general direction of the Prefects' carriage. If she hadn't found him by the time she got there, she could at least sit there and wait for him. He couldn't avoid her forever. Not anymore.

She spotted Hector Nott leaning against a compartment door towards the front of the train, talking with a couple of younger Slytherins whose names she didn't know. When he saw her a shadow seemed to pass across his face, and he opened his mouth as though he wanted to speak, so much so that Rose almost stopped walking. But when she looked again he was back talking to his friends and appeared not to notice her. Shaking her head at his strange behaviour, she brushed past and continued up the corridor.

Two carriages away from the Prefects' carriage, she ran into Flora Bletchley. The blonde girl stopped short when she saw Rose, and a vicious glare marred her features. It was so abrupt that Rose had to double check she was the person being glared at.

"Looking for Scorpius?" asked Flora snidely.

Rose swallowed and nodded. She had never sensed any animosity from Flora before, despite all the drama that had surrounded them. But it was certainly emanating from her in waves now. Well, two could play that game, thought Rose, glaring herself now. She wondered if Flora had spent much time with Scorpius over the summer. Whether she had heard of the events at Victoire and Teddy's wedding… Whether Scorpius had talked to her about not getting Head Boy… Whether he wrote to her when he was in France… Rose sucked her teeth, pushing away her insecurity regarding the previous year, and exactly what had happened between Flora and Scorpius. "I am," she said. "Have you seen him?"

Flora sneered. "Good luck," she said sarcastically, before pushing past her and disappearing into a compartment, slamming the door behind her.

It was with a sigh of relief that Rose let herself into the Prefects' carriage. She had half expected to find Scorpius already sitting there, as he had been the year before, but there was no one there beside herself. Well, he would show up eventually. He was a Prefect, after all, even if he hadn't been given Head Boy, and he wasn't one to shirk his duties.

She sat herself on one of the leather seats, fidgeting a little. It felt stupid, sitting here waiting like she was at St Mungo's while the rest of the students enjoyed themselves. But wandering the corridors looking for a flash of blonde was not exactly appealing either. And she didn't really want to risk running into Flora again.

She began to gnaw on her bottom lip. Deep down, she had expected Scorpius to come and find her as soon as the Hogwarts' Express had left and their parents were out of sight. The fact that he hadn't suggested he didn't want to see her – a possibility Rose had tried hard not to dwell on during the summer. What if he was having second thoughts about their relationship? Rose swallowed, forcing herself to consider this unpleasant scenario. Well, she would simply have to remind him how good they were together.

At that moment, the door to the compartment slid open. Rose turned her head and opened her mouth to complain about how long he had taken, only to see who it was and bite back the words.

"Hi Al," she said instead. She had been keen to catch up with her cousin as well, since they were back on friendly terms. But the way he was looking at her now put her on edge. Perhaps he was searching for Scorpius as well.

It took her longer than it should have to realise something was wrong. Al didn't step inside, but remained where he was, and there was a blankness to his expression that made her nervous.

"What's wrong?" she forced herself to ask.

He opened his mouth, shook his head, and closed it again. His jaw clenched and he seemed to take a moment to compose himself. "He's gone," he said at last.

She rolled her eyes at his unnecessary melodrama. "Who's gone?" When he didn't reply she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. For some reason she felt clammy and unsettled, which was ridiculous since her cousin was probably only playing a stupid trick on her.

He didn't answer, but stared blankly at the floor instead.

"Albus," she bit out, annoyed with him for making her worry. She tapped her foot against the floor. "What are you talking about? Who's gone?"

He raised his eyes to hers, and they were tortured. "Scorpius," he mumbled.

She attempted a laugh, but it felt like there was something stuck in her throat. "What do you mean? Where is he, the bathroom?"

He didn't return her smile. "He's gone Rose," he repeated softly.

"Gone _where_?" she demanded, her voice growing louder as the room seemed to press in upon her. She couldn't understand what Albus was telling her. Her fingers twitched against the seat. "Well?"

Al looked at her and she saw the truth in his eyes.

"Gone _where_?" she practically yelled at him, jumping to her feet. "For Merlin's sake Albus, tell me!"

"Durmstrang."

Rose sat down abruptly. It felt as though the bottom had just dropped out of her stomach. Like she couldn't breathe. She shook her head. "No."

"Rose – "

"No," she said again, more firmly this time. "It – he can't be – I don't – "

"His father enrolled him over the summer, and took him out of Hogwarts," said Albus. His voice came as though down a very long tunnel, wretched and miserable. "He won't be coming back this year."

"No," said Rose. feeling tears being to leak out as the horrible truth sank into her. "No. How could – how could – it's not possible!"

And yet, despite her words, it all began to make sense. The unreturned letters, the lack of any contact, the fruitless search on the train. Hector's look, Flora's vicious glare… they had known, they had known he was gone…

She was still shaking her head, as though denial could somehow make it untrue. Albus just stood in the doorway, his hands hanging at his sides.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

She couldn't speak. This was wrong, all wrong. It had to be some kind of nightmare. She would wake up and the day would start over again. "I – I – " she squeezed her eyes shut and hugged herself. A moment later, she felt Albus sit beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders. Abandoning all pretence, she turned and began to sob into his chest.

How could he? It was the one overriding thought echoing through her mind. How could he leave? Surely he had a choice… surely his father hadn't forced him… and why hadn't he told her? Didn't she deserve to hear it from him, rather than wander around the train like some lovesick idiot? How _could _he?

"Shh Rose," Al muttered into her hair, his own voice harsh with pain. "Please stop crying."

But she couldn't. Didn't her cousin understand? This wasn't just some silly adolescent argument that they would forget about in a few weeks. He had _gone._ Not just for a week, or a month, but for the _whole year. _Their _last_ year. The implications were starting to hit her now, each one like a bludger straight to the chest. She would never go to Hogwarts with Scorpius Malfoy again. They would never sit next to each other in Potions… never meet for study sessions in the library… never take a walk around the Lake… never kiss on top of the Astronomy Tower… she would never watch him play Quidditch for Slytherin again… he was gone. _Gone. _

"The other Prefects will be here in a minute," her cousin said in a low voice.

His words seemed to jerk her out of her misery, and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and stem the flow of tears. She still had enough dignity not to break down in front of the other students, didn't she? She was Head Girl now; she had to set an example.

"I – I guess… " she sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I guess there'll need to be a new Slytherin Prefect, now that… " there was another pang, and she bit down on her bottom lip. "Now that… "

"Yeah," said Albus glumly. "That'd be me."

She looked at him then, and saw the pain shining in his green eyes. He had just lost his best friend, after all, and Rose could tell he hadn't had much more warning than she had. Her fury at Scorpius grew.

"I wish – "

Someone cleared their throat, and both their heads whipped in the direction of the compartment door. Lorcan stood there, his eyes wide as he surveyed the scene before him. Hurriedly, Rose dragged a hand across her face.

"Lorcan!" she said in a voice of painfully forced cheer. "Hi! It's good to see you. Albus and I were just discussing… uh… " her brain was a complete blank slate. How _could _he?

"Stuff," finished Albus in a low voice.

Lorcan's eyes swivelled between them, and his mouth opened and shut as though he couldn't decide what to say. "Stuff is important," he said at last, sticking a hand in one of the pockets of his robe. When he drew it out he was clutching a small glass ball. "I have a Remembrall to help me keep track of my stuff. I can let you use it if you want?"

Rose gave a choked sob, her eyes blurring again as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She felt Albus get up and move to speak with Lorcan, his voice deep and distant so that she seemed unable to grasp the individual words he spoke. Outside the scenery was already changing, the suburbs of London left behind and replaced by rolling fields. She wondered where hewas, right then. Already at Durmstrang? Making new friends? Meeting new girls? Forgetting everything about her and what they had shared?

"Rose?"

She turned to see both Lorcan and Albus looking at her.

"The roster," said Lorcan, holding up a sheet of parchment. "For patrols. Shall we distribute copies?"

She nodded dumbly.

"I'll help," said Albus. He walked over and took her head. "You don't have to do this alone, you know."

Her gaze drifted back out the window. Alone? She supposed she was, now. The burning was back and she closed her eyes to try and hold back tears. How on earth would she get through the year?

She would never forgive him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *holds up laptop to hide from the rotten tomatoes thrown by readers***

**Okay, so I know some of you are going to be super pissed at me for this. But believe me when I say I've had this planned for a long time! I mean come on, you didn't think Draco was just going to sit around while his son fell for a Weasley, did you? Sheesh, give the bloke some credit! :P**

**So what will happen now to our star-crossed lovers? Will their love be strong enough to bridge the divide? Or will it crumble to dust and float away over the North Sea? Stay tuned...**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: I'm convinced I have the best reviewers on this site. I might be biased, but I just love you guys' reactions to each chapter!**

**For those that wondered, no this story isn't finished yet. Not even close, unfortunately (or not, depending on your perspective!).**

**I hope you enjoy this uber-angst filled chapter.**

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><p><em>Seventh Year<em>

* * *

><p>The responsibilities of being a leader had never seemed such a burden to Rose as they did that first day on the train back to Hogwarts. All she wanted was to curl up in a little ball and pretend the world didn't exist for a while. Instead she was forced to carry out her duties as though nothing was wrong, as though nothing had changed; going on patrol, putting on a brave face, ignoring the way his absence suddenly seemed to take up the whole world, so incredibly obvious that she had no idea how she had wandered around in ignorance for such a long time.<p>

She kept her eyes downcast as she walked throughout the carriages, avoiding eye contact and praying desperately that she could somehow avoid running into anyone she knew. It was a futile wish.

"Rose!" Dom rushed up to her almost as soon as she left the sanctuary of the Prefects' carriage and entered the main part of the train. "What's going on? I just spoke to Daisy and she said – " her cousin pulled up short at the sight of Rose's still red-rimmed eyes and ghost white pallor. "Oh," she said softly. "It's true then?"

Rose dragged her gaze away. What could she say? She hated the way Dom was looking at her, as though she was a delicate china doll that might break at any moment. If only she hadn't told her cousin about Scorpius. If only she hadn't told anyone…

"We're on patrol," commented Lorcan. He had offered to accompany Rose on her rounds and she had accepted, leaving Albus in control of the rest of the Prefects. At least most of the students tended to keep a safe distance from Lorcan, a fact she was hoping would rub off on her a little. Sometimes it paid to be an oddity.

Dom hadn't taken her eyes off of her. "I don't understand," she whispered. Rose wished she wouldn't; the tortured look in her eyes was threatening to set her tears off all over again. It would hardly be a good look to break down in the middle of the corridor. She needed to stay in control; she needed to act like this didn't affect her. Like she didn't care. It didn't matter. It –

"Would you like to accompany us?" asked Lorcan. Dom blinked at him, as though noticing his presence for the first time. "You see," he explained patiently to her confused expression. "It doesn't set a good example to the rest of the student body if we stand here in the corridor talking. We are Heads, after all."

Any other day Rose might have laughed at the look of shock on Dom's face. "Er… " her cousin hesitated a moment, before shrugging and looping her arm through Rose's. "Sure, why not, I'll come."

The physical contact felt nice, and Rose clung to her cousin's arm like a lifeline. "Thanks," she muttered under her breath as they continued walking.

"No problem," continued Dom in the same undertone. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Gods, she was going to have a hard time keeping her emotions in check. "Not really. I – " she swallowed against the lump in her throat. "There's not really much to say. He's gone."

She felt Dom's arm tighten around her own, as the part-Veela grumbled something unintelligible under her breath. Rose thought she caught the words 'prat' and 'strangle' buried in there somewhere.

"You can say it, you know," Rose sighed.

"Say what?"

"That you were right," her voice dropped to a whisper as a deep emptiness seemed to open up inside her, crushing her feelings in lieu of a complete and utter blankness. "That I shouldn't have trusted him."

"Rose…"

"Never trust a Malfoy." She stared straight ahead, but she hardly saw the corridor, or the students sitting in their compartments all around them, laughing and chatting as though there was absolutely nothing wrong in the world. It was like a dream, a horrible nightmare that she wasn't going to wake from.

"I'm sure he – "

"I don't want to talk about it," she cut her cousin off, and heard Dom sigh. "Lorcan, let's talk about Ziggamees."

"What do you want to know?" he asked curiously.

She looped her spare arm through his, trying to ignore the hollow ache in her chest. "I don't know. Tell me anything."

* * *

><p>There was a light drizzle at Hogsmeade as they stepped off the train, and the air was unseasonably cool. Straining her eyes to spot the looming form of Hagrid in the dark, Rose was somewhat surprised when he didn't immediately appear. Usually the half-giant stationed himself somewhere close to the centre of the platform, an easy target for all the nervous and intimidated first years to find. It was usually impossible <em>not <em>to notice him.

"Where's Hagrid?" she asked Lorcan, who was by her side as he had been throughout the journey.

"Perhaps he's running late," he offered, but she dismissed the suggestion with a shake of her head.

"Hagrid's never late."

"Maybe he had another task to attend to?"

Rose opened her mouth to tell Lorcan he was being ridiculous, that Hagrid _always _took the first years and this year would be no different; but she was cut off by a very un-Hagrid-like voice that began calling out in the darkness.

"First Years this way! First Years this way!"

A stone dropped into her stomach. "What…"

Professor Sami was standing in Hagrid's normal place, holding up a lantern in one hand and calling across the platform in a magically magnified voice.

"First Years to me!"

Without thinking Rose shoved her way through the crowd towards the teacher, concern pushing all her other emotions to one side. When Professor Sami saw her coming she smiled, a sentiment Rose didn't return.

"Hello Rose – "

"Where is he?" she demanded, not bothering to be polite. When Professor Sami only stared at her in confusion she almost growled. "Hagrid," she clarified. "Why isn't he here taking the First Years across the Lake?"

Professor Sami frowned at her, as though she disapproved of Rose's concern. "Professor Hagrid was not feeling well enough to come tonight," she stated matter-of-factly.

The stone in Rose's stomach grew heavier. She opened her mouth, but could think of nothing to say in the face of her teacher's stare. She was acutely aware that they were being surrounded by nervous first years, all desperate to know what was to happen to them next; that Lorcan had come up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder; that Professor Sami was still speaking….

"… help me guide them to the boats."

But none of it mattered. Hagrid couldn't be sick. He just _couldn't. _She glanced around the crowd of students, desperate to find someone who would appreciate the sinking feeling erupting in her chest. But Albus was nowhere to be seen, and Scorpius… she choked, her vision misting over as the ignominy of it all swept her.

"Rose?" Lorcan's voice was in her ear, gentler than she had ever heard it before. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, stumbling blindly after Professor Sami's lantern, feeling somewhat like a first-year herself. "Let's just go."

She had a job to do, after all. The rest of it could wait.

* * *

><p>By the time she had led the first years over the Lake and into the castle, the drizzle had increased to a steady downpour and she was drenched to the bone. Most of the first years resembled drowned puppies, swamped by their cloaks and sporting near identical terrified expressions. Rose didn't have the patience to try and calm them, her own mind too frantic and confused to be much assistance beyond the absolute necessities. In that regard Lorcan proved surprisingly invaluable. He entertained them all with a captivating story of getting lost in a Burmese jungle with his parents, distracting them so successfully with tales of tri-horned Humdingers and angry locals that they hardly even noticed Professor Millew open the door to announce that the Sorting was about to begin.<p>

"Very well done," the Head of Gryffindor told them after the first years had been organised into a rough queue and were waiting for their next instructions. She gave them both approving nods, her tight lips almost curving upwards into the ghost of a smile. From Professor Millew this was rather high praise, and Rose felt a tinge of guilt that she had been next to useless and yet was still receiving credit. "You may take your seats among your houses now." She turned aside before pausing. "I'm sure you're both eager to see your new dormitory."

Rose didn't reply. She didn't really feel eager for anything right now, except maybe curling up in a ball and going to sleep for a long time. She knew that having her own private room was something she was _supposed _to be looking forward to, but the whole thing was so tainted by the day she had had that Rose very much doubted she could raise the appropriate enthusiasm.

"You will find your new rooms on the fifth floor," continued Professor Millew when neither of them spoke. "The password is _Tentacula._"

"Strange," mused Lorcan as he watched Professor Millew shepherd the first years through a narrow doorway. "Did you know Derwent Shimpling once ate an entire Venomous Tentacula and survived?"

"Mm-hmm," she murmured without really registering what he was saying. She was too busy thinking about their late arrival to dinner and whether it would be possible to avoid everyone's stares as she entered the Great Hall. Maybe she could slip inside without anyone even noticing? There had to be a secret passageway for the House Elves somewhere that she could use. Perhaps she could shrink herself and… why had she never considered becoming an Animagus before?

"Rose?"

She blinked, realising she was standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall and staring into space. Lorcan was a few steps ahead of her, worry darkening his face as he waited for her to follow him. Rose almost laughed at the expression on his face. You knew things were bad when even _Lorcan _thought you were acting crazy. Then the laughter turned into a sob and she swallowed and turned her head to the side to hide her expression.

"Are you coming in?" he asked.

The Great Hall was already packed with the rest of the student body, having all taken a much faster route to the Castle than across the lake. Through the doorway Rose could see them all at their tables, chattering away and waiting for the Sorting to begin. There was no way she could slip in without attracting attention. Her eyes skidded to the Slytherin table, where Albus was deep in conversation with Hector Nott. A few places down, Flora was scowling at her empty plate as though it had done her personal injury. Rose felt her stomach perform a little flip.

"The Sorting's about to start," said Lorcan.

She dragged a hand through her hair. "I think I'm going to go and check out our new rooms," she said without quite meeting his gaze. Lorcan was far too perceptive and she didn't want to see the understanding in his eyes right then. "See whether we get a better fireplace than the rest of the Gryffindors, you know?"

"You should eat something."

"Not really hungry," she mumbled. "You have a good night though. I'll see you later."

"Rose – "

She turned and walked off before he could finish, not allowing herself to think too much about what she was doing. With automatic steps she made her way up the familiar staircases to the fifth floor, stopping at the burly suit of armour which she knew from previous years disguised the entrance to the Head rooms.

"_Tentacula,_" she said when he lifted his visor to regard her. With a series of creaks and grumbles the knight bowed stiffly and stepped aside, revealing a smoothly polished oak door set in the castle wall that had been completely invisible moments earlier. It swung open easily at her touch.

Rose barely noticed the sumptuous furnishings of the room she entered. It was a large common room with a roaring fire, two comfortable looking armchairs, a sofa and a pair of large study desks with matching chairs set on opposite sides of the room. Beside one desk a statue of a large bronze lion had been erected, and besides the other, a proud looking silver eagle. It was supposed to be quaint, she supposed, and traditional, but part of Rose hated that they were _still, _even now, emphasising House above everything else. She stared hard at the eagle, wondering how a snake would have looked in its place.

At the far end of the room a half-dozen carpeted steps led up to an elevated landing where two doors faced one another. Ignoring the rest of the room, Rose strode forward and tried opening the one on the left. It was locked, and didn't respond to her _Alohamora_. The second opened when she turned the handle, revealing a warmly coloured room dominated by a huge four-poster bed that was a larger version of the one she had slept in for the previous six years. There was another desk beside a window that appeared to overlook the Great Lake. One side of the room was floor-to-ceiling mahogany wardrobes, and a full length mirror that showed only shadows in the darkness.

Her luggage was already laid at the foot of her bed. Since there was nothing else to do, Rose walked over and sat down on the mattress. She tried to conjure a reaction within herself to what would be her home for the rest of the year, but nothing was forthcoming. Objectively she supposed it was welcoming enough, but to Rose it seemed lacking somehow. After six years of longing for a room of her own, she now found herself wishing there was someone else there besides just her. Someone like Dom, to keep her entertained with all sorts of titbits and laughter. Even Daisy and Peoria's bickering would have been preferable to the stifling silence that seemed to settle around her as she sat in the centre of the room.

On the desk a scroll of parchment and an inkstand had been set up for her, almost as though those who had arranged her room had known exactly what she would want. Rose eyed the blank parchment almost distrustfully, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist writing to him and hating herself for her weakness. Then she scrambled over to it, sliding into the seat and picking up the quill with trembling hands. She touched it to the edge of the paper and took a deep, steadying breath.

_Scorpius,_

She frowned, biting her bottom lip until she drew blood. What on earth could she say? Her first instinct was a torrent of abuse and outrage, but she didn't know what purpose that would serve. Should she write him nicely and ask him to explain? Or should she scream at him and tell him she never wanted to see him again. Would that even be true?

_I learned today that you're attending Durmstrang. I wish you'd told me before. _

She exhaled heavily, fiddling with the quill. Truth was she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to say to him. The ink spread in a large blot over the words she had written, like a dark tear, before she vanished it with her wand.

_Please write back and help me understand. _

_ Rose. _

Her stomach gave a loud groan, reminding her of her missed dinner and the fact that she had hardly eaten a bite all day. It was a bad look for a Head Girl to skip the opening feast. The teachers would surely have noticed, particularly McGonagall; probably she would get a reprimand for it from someone later. And Dom would be upset with her. Sudden tears sprang to her eyes, and she stood up abruptly before stumbling back to her new bed. No point sending the letter now; the owlery might not even be open yet, and she would need to use someone else's owl to send a letter all the way to Durmstrang. Pig wouldn't be able to make the distance. Rose shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She could hear the rain hitting her window, a steady sound that she usually found comforting but which seemed almost sinister to her right then. All summer she had looked forward to coming back to Hogwarts, to things going back to normal in her life. But now she realised how mistaken she had been. There was no such thing as normal. There was only the present, the reality of life at that moment, in which she was Head Girl and alone and Scorpius was somewhere far away in another country. She didn't even really know where.

Rose fumbled for her wand, waving it almost blindly and casting the room into darkness as her tears overwhelmed her and she finally gave in to her despair.

* * *

><p>She woke at dawn the next day, to find that the storm had blown itself out and the sky was clear and pale. The letter she had written the night before lay on the desk, the ink gleaming slightly from the rays of the rising sun. As she had guessed her window held a beautiful view of the lake, its surface utterly still in the calm of the early morning, and the Forbidden Forest stretching like a dark canvas from its shore. Getting out of bed, Rose padded over to the window sill, from where she could just see the very edge of Hagrid's hut. It was dark and silent, but the thin flume of smoke rising from the chimney told her that he was awake at least.<p>

Making her decision, Rose threw on her cloak and a pair of shoes, the only things she had bothered taking off the night before, and left her room. Lorcan's door was shut, and the living room was dark and silent, as undisturbed as it had been the night before, except for a few loose scrolls of parchment lying on her desk which she presumed to be her timetable and hall roster. Ignoring these, she strode across the room and let herself out.

The Bloody Baron was wandering the second floor, floating so silently that Rose nearly ran through him before she noticed his presence. She halted in her tracks, staring at the Slytherin ghost as he passed without even a glance in her direction, a new appreciation of his morbidity forming within her. Her mother had told her once that the Bloody Baron was still atoning for sins he had committed several centuries ago, and that he would probably never find real peace. Looking at his gaunt features, Rose wondered what it would be like to carry that grief around with you for such a long time. It was a depressing thought, and she lowered her eyes in almost awe-like respect as the spirit drifted through a wall and out of sight.

She didn't meet another soul on the way to the Entrance Hall, nor as she let herself out onto the chilly grounds. It was too early; in fact, Rose wasn't entirely sure she was even allowed out at this time of the morning. Brushing aside this thought with an ease that would have disturbed her had she been fully conscious of it, she trekked her way across the grounds to Hagrid's cabin. When she got there, she pounded on his door without hesitating, her heart lifting somewhat at Shadow's answering bark.

After a few moments the door creaked open and Hagrid's face appeared, still bleary-eyed from sleep.

"Blimey!" He greeted, blinking once or twice as though to confirm she was actually standing there. "S'a bit early, isn' it?"

He had lost a lot of weight, and appeared to have shrunk considerably, so that he took up far less space than he had before, and his clothes hung like oversized bed sheets on his frame. But his beetle black eyes still shone with the same characteristic warmth, and he smiled happily at her once the initial shock had faded.

"Well, bes' come in then," he said, hobbling away from the door to let her through. He moved awkwardly, using the furniture to prop himself up as he shuffled around the room. "Yeh're lucky, I jus' put the kettle on."

"I'm sorry for coming so early," she said, watching his movements in alarm. The short walk from door to table seemed to have exhausted him, and he was visibly struggling to lower himself into a seat. "I wanted to visit as soon as I could, and – "

He waved away her apologies with a plate-sized hand. "Couldn' sleep anyway," he mumbled.

"You weren't at Hogsmeade yesterday," she said, trying to keep her voice free of accusation and only partially succeeding. "Professor Sami took the first years instead."

"Eh, I know," he said, not quite meeting her eyes. "Heard yeh've bin made Head Girl though!" When she only nodded he went on, "Tha's great, isn' it. Always knew yeh would be. Jus' like yer mum, yeh are."

Rose nodded again. She had rushed down to his cabin in such a hurry that she hadn't even thought about what she would say when she got there. Now everything she could think of seemed pointless or childish. Idly, she ran her hand along Shadow's neck, searching for the right words.

"Heard abou' Scorpius too," Hagrid added in a solemn voice. He reached over and unhooked the cast iron kettle from where it hung over the fire, blowing hard with the effort of the movement. "Real shame, that is."

She opened her mouth, eyes prickling, but nothing more than a strangled assent came out. Instead she clung to the steaming mug Hagrid placed in front of her and tried to pretend that she was thinking of something to say.

"There, now I've made yeh upset," Hagrid rumbled in a voice of regret. With one hand he reached across the table and patted her arm; but the sight of his bony knuckles and the wasted skin of his hand only made the pain in her chest increase. Shadow, sensing the tension in the air, curled up on the rug and tucked his head into his side.

"Don' cry Rosie," murmured Hagrid.

Was she crying? Rose blinked as the calm surface of her tea was disturbed by a falling teardrop. "I always wanted to be Head Girl," she said in a chocked voice, searching for a way to release the tumult of emotions inside her with some kind of coherency. "Ever since… ever since I was old enough to know what Hogwarts was. I wanted to make my mum proud. And my dad. That was all I wanted." She broke off, trembling, but Hagrid stayed silent, clearly waiting for her to continue. "And – and I worked so hard to be what they wanted me to be."

"Yeh've made them proud, Rosie. I know yeh have."

"Until – until I fell in love with _him,_" she continued."Against all my better judgement, against my family, and my friends, and – and I forced them to accept him and I even fought with my _dad _ - " she squeezed her eyes shut as the awful reality pressed down upon her like a physical weight. " And now he's gone and I just look so _stupid _and – "

"Yeh're not stupid," interjected Hagrid, but she shook her head in denial.

"I am. I am. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have lost sight of what was important. I wouldn't have allowed myself to believe some stupid fantasy that didn't – that didn't ever mean anything."

There was a long silence, before Hagrid cleared his throat. "I may be a bit clueless abou' these things," he began. "But I saw th' way young Scorpius used ter look at yeh. And I know it meant somethin' ter him."

Rose hated how desperately she wanted to believe his words. Her vision blurring, she pushed herself out of her chair and stumbled across to the half-giant, who seemed to understand what she wanted and opened his arms so that she could fall against his chest. Rose buried her head in his cavernous overcoat, allowing the guilt and despair to spill forth in hot, salty tears. Hagrid patted her back gently, waiting for her sobs to finish.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed at last, accepting the tablecloth-sized handkerchief he offered her and blowing her nose. "I shouldn't come here and – and waste your time like this. Not when…"

Hagrid shrugged, almost dislodging her onto the floor with the movement. "S'no' th' firs' time I've had a student needin' ter cry on me shoulder." He gave a chuckle that turned quickly into a deep, hacking cough. Rose stepped back, remembering with a spike of fear what had brought her to his cabin in the first place.

"Hagrid," she whispered. "I – "

But he was oblivious to her concern, his face growing redder as he struggled to breathe through the gripping cough. Shadow whined and padded restlessly about the room, as though desperate to help in some way. Rose shared the animal's distress; she fingered her wand, wishing she knew a healing spell that could relieve the pain from her friend, but knowing that such a thing was far, far beyond her power.

When it was over, and Hagrid was taking in deep, shaky gulps of air, Rose could see the lines of exhaustion on his face and the deep circles shadowing his eyes. She tried to say something, anything, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it, and she didn't have the strength to force the issue. So she simply hugged him again, trying to ignore how his bones jutted into her, and promised to visit again soon.

Lorcan was awake when she returned, sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea in front of him. He got to his feet when she let herself in.

"I went to see Hagrid," she said in answer to his inquisitive stare. Her whole body ached with fatigue and grief, and she felt as though she could quite easily curl back into bed. If only she had such a luxury.

Lorcan gave her a searching gaze as she shuffled past him. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said.

She nodded. "I'm alright."

"And Hagrid?"

The answer caught in her throat, and she shrugged without meeting his eyes. It took all her willpower not to breakdown again.

Lorcan reached out and squeezed her hand, his fingers warm against her own chill ones. He didn't speak, but she sensed the unspoken support in his silence, and the strength behind his gentle touch. A sudden longing for human contact overwhelmed her, and she reached out blindly. Lorcan responded by putting his arms around her, gripping her tight against his chest. He was warm from bed, and for a moment Rose closed her eyes and allowed herself the simple comfort of behind held. If she was very still, and didn't breathe, she could almost imagine that it was –

"Better get ready." Lorcan pressed a kiss to the top of her head, shattering the illusion that she had been building. Rose jerked back to reality with a start, the chill air rushing to envelop her like a curse. "Class starts soon, and there's breakfast."

"Yeah." She slipped out of his embrace, berating herself for being so weak, so cowardly. For not being strong enough to forget him. "I'd better go get ready." She shuffled over to the door of her room, which was only just beginning to lighten as the sun rose above the level of the Forbidden Forest. When she shut the door of her room Lorcan was still standing in the living room, his hair glowing golden in the first rays of the dawning sun.

And on her desk her letter to Scorpius still lay, pale and innocent in the light. Rose walked over to it, picking up the quill almost without thinking, and added a final postscript to the page with numb fingers.

_Hagrid is dying. _

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Til next time, ~A**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: This one's a little shorter than usual, but I feel it is more than intense enough as is. I actually cried a little while writing this, and I really hope I did it justice. **

* * *

><p><em>Seventh Year<em>

* * *

><p><em>S<em>_corpius, _

_ How could you do this? Why didn't you tell me this was happening? How could you just leave like this without a word? We would have helped you; we would have stood up to your father if that's what you wanted. _

_ I thought we meant more than this? I can't understand why you've been so silent. _

_ Rose._

* * *

><p><em>Scorpius,<em>

_ Please reply. I miss you. I need to understand why you've gone and what that means for us. _

_ I still love you._

_ Rose_

* * *

><p><em>Scorpius,<em>

_ I can handle that you wanted to end our relationship. _

_ I can handle that you've gone to Durmstrang and apparently want to start a new life with new friends. That's your choice, after all. _

_ Merlin, I can even handle the fact that you no longer want any of us in your life anymore. I might not like it, but I understand. _

_ What I can't handle is the way you've done all this. Not a single explanation, no courtesy letter, not even a rejection. Nothing. _

_ I deserve an answer from you._

_ Rose_

* * *

><p><em>Scorpius,<em>

_ I'd give anything to see you again. Or even just to hear your voice._

_ There's no point to anything anymore and I don't know what to do. _

_ Please, if you ever had even the slightest bit of affection towards me, please reply._

_ Rose. _

Rose stared down at the letter in her hands. Her heart was heavy and it felt as though there was something choking her throat every time she tried to take a decent breath. After three unanswered letters, she had finally succumbed to more or less begging. Disgust at her own weakness churned in her gut, and she wished she had the strength to crush the parchment into a ball and toss it off the edge of the tower. And yet, despite the deafening silence from Scorpius for over a month now, a small part of her still held a shred of hope for a reply. Perhaps there had been some problem with the owls. Perhaps he really hadn't received any of her letters. Now he was at Durmstrang and free of his father, surely he had to answer… perhaps if she just sent one more…

Albus' owl Galleon clicked his beak in impatience, and Rose realised that she had been staring at the page in her hand long enough for the sun to start to set. She sighed, and went to tie it to the owl's leg. From his perch nearby, her own owl Pig twittered at her reproachfully, the tiny pygmy unable to understand why he was being continuously snubbed for all her letters.

"I'm sorry Pig," she whispered in a strangled voice, trying to catch the creature's eye. "It's just such a long way. You wouldn't be able to make it."

Pig gave an offended hoot and flew away up to a higher perch.

_"_Pig_…" _

But her owl ignored her. Rose scrubbed a hand against her face, turning back to the task at hand. Galleon seemed to stare at her pityingly. Great, now she was receiving sympathy from a bird…

"Make sure you deliver this to Scorpius," she said softly, triple tying the knot that attached the scroll to the owl's leg. Maybe the last one had fallen off… Maybe that was why he hadn't written back to her…

Galleon gave a hoot and took off, his powerful wings pushing the wind into her face as he took flight. Rose watched as he grew smaller and smaller, until he was nothing but a dark speck on the purple horizon, before vanishing out of sight completely.

"Please," she whispered, to no one in particular. "I need you."

* * *

><p>She threw herself into her Head Girl duties and her studies, determined not to give herself a single second to think about Scorpius. It worked surprisingly well; she was so busy that the days seemed to pass in a blur of activity, and when she fell into bed each night she was so exhausted that she didn't even have the energy for dreams.<p>

She knew her family was worried about her. It was in Albus' sympathetic gaze whenever they had a chance to spend time together, in the way Dom tiptoed around her as though she was made out of glass; it was in Hugo and Lily's fearful looks, almost as if they expected her to break down at any second and start sobbing like a hysterical child. It was in the way her other cousins, who had always treated her with friendly casualness, now went out of their way to be nice to her.

She found herself spending less and less time with them, since their timidity only served to remind her of her miserable reality. Instead she took to hanging around with Lorcan, whose quiet, quirky presence was infinitely more enjoyable. She liked to lie on the couch and listen to him read the _Quibbler _to her, pausing now and then to add his own anecdotes to the story or else regaling her with tales of his parents' many bizarre travels across the globe. Lorcan never asked her about Scorpius, never gave her any pitying looks or condescending pats on the shoulder. And as Head Boy he was the one person she saw most, lounging in their shared common room or making his strange cups of 'good luck' tea in the annexed kitchen they had use of. So they became fast friends just as they had been in earlier years, and Rose wondered why they had ever stopped being so close.

She kept an eye out for owls, but with every passing week she became more and more resigned to the fact that Scorpius wasn't going to write to her. She wasn't even sure if she wanted him to anymore, and how she would react if he did. And yet, as much as she tried to tell herself that she didn't care, she still felt the iron band squeezing her chest tighten each morning when there was no mail dropped into her lap over breakfast. And she still made the trek to the owlery every week, to send another letter. Just one more. Just in case.

And so the days passed into weeks and the weeks into months and her seventh and final year at Hogwarts slowly slipped away. And his absence was like a black cloud around her that she couldn't dislodge, no matter how hard she tried.

* * *

><p>And then one morning, came the news she had been dreading. Rose clambered out of bed already late, threw on her robes and ran her wand through her hair before stumbling out into the corridors ready for a headlong flight to her first lesson, only to find the castle utterly still and silent, as though the entire population of Hogwarts had been obliterated in the night and she was the only survivor. Banishing this rather terrifying thought, she hurried down the corridor with a sinking feeling forming like poison in her stomach, making her limbs shake and her breath come in short, shallow pants.<p>

At the end of the corridor was a painting showing a gathering of Franciscan monks outside a ruined monastery. On most days the inhabitants wandered mournfully back and forth across the frame, but today they were standing together in a tight huddle, whispering and shaking their heads. Rose skidded to a halt besides them and cleared her throat.

"E-excuse me."

Their baleful eyes seemed to bore into her as they turned their heads. "What is it, little Miss?" asked one of them.

She gestured to the empty corridor. "Where is everybody? Class starts in five minutes."

The monks in the painting shared a look that made Rose's chest tighten. "Haven't you heard the news?"

"What news?" she made herself ask.

They muttered to themselves, shaking their heads.

"_What news?" _she demanded.

"Best get to the Entrance Hall, m'lady," said one. "You'll find out soon enough."

She didn't hesitate, setting off at a run in that direction. Her footsteps echoed around her as she ran, sliding down flights of stairs and across corridors as though Voldemort himself was at her heels. She didn't meet another soul until she reached the steps above the Entrance Hall. There, as the monks had said, almost the entire student population had gathered, milling about in hushed, buzzing circles. There were no teachers to be seen.

Rose knew what had happened. She knew it even before she caught sight of Dom, her face streaked with tears and her normally impeccable uniform in disarray; or Albus, sitting with his head in his hands on the bottom step. She knew it even before Professor Millew came out of the Great Hall with a face more drawn and stern than Rose had ever seen it.

"Rose."

She turned at the sound of her brother's voice. Hugo stood off to one side of the landing, his hands shoved in his pockets and a black look upon his face.

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Hugo stared back at her, his own mouth tight and his eyes harsh with grief.

"It's happened," he said. "He – " he choked and looked away, shielding his expression with his fringe. "He's…"

But she didn't need him to explain. She slumped against the banister, staring around her at the crowd of students without truly recognising any of them. Everything seemed muffled somehow, and condensed, so that even though she was surrounded by the tearful faces of those who supposedly shared her grief, at the same time she had never felt so alone. As though there was a barrier between her and the rest of her peers, an invisible shield that stopped her from reaching out and finding solace with another person. And her troubles and worries with Scorpius paled into insignificance like a little lumos swamped by a vast and torturous floodlight.

Beside her, she could see the subtle tremors in Hugo's shoulders that he was trying desperately to hide. Her own legs were beginning to shake, and she knew that if she stayed there much longer she would end up falling in a messy heap as many of her friends had done. That thought, along with the responsibilities she knew she would be given as soon as Professor Millew caught sight of her, was enough for Rose to find the energy within herself to turn and run. Leaving her brother where he was she ran and ran, back up the stairs she had flown down only moments before, and further, until there were no more stairs to climb and she was at the top of the Astronomy Tower, trying to breathe, trying desperately to breathe. And there was no smoke coming from Hagrid's cabin, which lay cold and lifeless in the early morning. And then the tears came, hot and angry and desperate, and she curled up there in the tower and tried to forget that she was alive.

* * *

><p>But of course life had to move on. A week of mourning was declared, and preparations were swiftly underfoot for a full Hogwarts' funeral. Parents and friends of Hagrid would be invited, and there would be a ceremony at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where the half-giant was to be buried next to Dumbledore's tomb. It was to be one of the biggest events Hogwarts had ever seen, a fitting celebration of a person as incredible and larger-than-life as Hagrid himself.<p>

As Head Girl it was Rose's duty to help with the organisation of this. Within a few days she and Lorcan had been instructed to assist in sending out owls to relevant members of the public, helping to co-ordinate the Flu and Portkey networks in Hogsmeade, arranging speeches and music and co-ordinating with all the Prefects to get the student body arranged in an orderly fashion. All this she tried to do, knowing that it was the responsibility that came with a position she had coveted for years. But no matter how hard she tried she could never really focus on what she was doing. For her the world had gone onto autopilot the morning when she learnt of Hagrid's death, and it didn't seem as if it would return to normal any time soon.

The day of the funeral was overcast and windy, which seemed fitting somehow despite the inconvenience it caused. Rose worked without stopping to think, wandering around directing people to their seats and helping Professor Sami organise some of Hagrid's favourite animals, including a pair of Hippogriffs and a herd of Thestrals that she couldn't even see. News of Hagrid's death had spread throughout the Forbidden Forest and Rose was a little tentative as she scurried around its edges, knowing the many weird and wonderful creatures that Hagrid had befriended in his lifetime. The last thing the school needed was for a horde of acromantulas swooping in upon the proceedings, although Professor Sami assured her such a thing would not happen.

"They'll keep well out of sight of us, don't worry," she said, bending over to drag a cage of twittering bowtruckles closer to the shade of the forest. "But they'll be there, watching. The centaurs too, no doubt."

Rose wasn't sure whether she felt comforted by this or not, and she couldn't help keep an eye on the darkness of the trees for the rest of the day. She hadn't forgotten what had happened to her the last time she had wandered into the Forbidden Forest, and for all her bravado the thought of what might be lurking in there still terrified her.

There were other things to attend to that took her mind off Hagrid's curious assortment of animal friends, however. Parents and friends began arriving by midmorning, most of them apparating outside the gates and then walking into the school grounds by foot. Among these was her own family, easily spotted by their bright red hair and the certain aura of intensity they seemed to bring with them everywhere. Rose, who at that time had been assigned to help direct people to their seats, watched them enter with a strange sort of trepidation. She had hardly written to her parents since the beginning of term; there had been other things taking up her time, and if she was being honest, she was afraid of what their reactions would be when they learnt of Scorpius' departure.

If she was in doubt as to whether or not they had heard the news, her father's expression upon entering the castle was a good enough answer. Ron was scowling heavily even before he caught sight of her, and when he did his brows tightened in such a way that Rose knew exactly what he wanted to say to her. She took a deep breath as they approached, trying to ready herself for what was to come.

"Rose," her mother embraced her warmly, kissing her cheek before drawing back and staring keenly into her face. "Oh Rose. How are you?"

She struggled to give her mum a smile. "I'm okay," she managed.

Hermione didn't look convinced. "You look tired," she said, putting a hand against Rose's cheek. "Are you eating well? How are you finding your classes?"

"They're fine. I'm fine," she edged away, and Hermione let her hand drop. "Really, I'm just… just tired."

"Of course you are," her mother's gaze was sympathetic.

"We heard the news."

Rose had been wondering when her father would cut in. Ron stood by Hermione's side with a face like thunder, his whole body tense and his jaw clenching and unclenching as though he was grinding his teeth together continuously.

"Your seats are over there," she said, ignoring his weighted statement. She gestured vaguely in the direction of the marble table that had been set up at the front of the rows of chairs, and although Hermione nodded and moved to walk away, her father remained exactly where he was.

"I'd like a word with you first, Rose."

She closed her eyes for half a moment, before nodding. There was no real point in delaying. Ron was obviously waiting to explode, and the longer she put it off the worse it would be. Best just to get it over with.

Her mother squeezed her hand for a moment before letting go. "I'll be at our seats," she said to her husband, who nodded stiffly. "It's a hard day for everyone, Ron. Try not to… " she trailed off with a sigh and walked away.

Rose didn't say anything, allowing the silence to stretch. She could see Albus and Lily standing nearby with their parents and grandparents. Harry was magnificent in full dress robes; Rose didn't think she had ever seen him look so striking.

"Didn't I tell you?"

She bit her tongue, unable to prevent the stab of pain that shot through her at her father's accusing tone.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from him? I _warned _you what would happen if you got too close to him."

He was right, of course. He had warned her. And if she had listened to him she wouldn't be standing there right now. "I'm sorry."

Ron breathed out heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I went against my better judgment. I should _never_ have allowed this to happen. This is my fault."

Her eyes snapped to her father, surprised at the sudden guilt in his tone. "It's not your fault," she said.

He shook his head. "I told myself to trust you – I convinced myself that Albus might be right – " he scowled again, the tips of his ears dark red. "But it turns out I should have listened to myself. A Malfoy will always be a Malfoy."

She didn't answer; it was hard enough to keep her composure as it was without opening her mouth. Behind her, the students had nearly all assembled in their seats. She could see Lorcan in the corner of her eye, guiding his parents to their section, both of them dressed in blinding white. It wouldn't be long until the ceremony started.

"I'm so sorry he hurt you Rosie." She felt her father's hand on her arm, the gentleness of his touch belying the anger embedded in his voice. "I swear to Merlin that if I _ever _get my hands on that boy, I'll make him regret the day he decided to touch you. I swear it."

She blinked, unable to hold back the tears now. "I'm fine, dad," she said in a choked voice. "I have to go." And she hurried away before the temptation to fall into his arms like a five year old became too hard to refuse.

The ceremony itself was simple, with soft music and speeches from Professor McGonagall and her uncle Harry. Hagrid's boardhound Shadow circled the open cut grave beside Dumbledore's where the gigantic tomb was soon to be laid, as though he knew what was happening and was desperate to try and stop it. For the most part Rose stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular and her mind going in a strange blank loop from Scorpius to Hagrid, each time more painful than the last. Once or twice her gaze drifted to the forest, and she saw within the murky darkness dozens of half-discernible figures, poised in stillness and silence in honour of their friend.

"Look," whispered Lorcan in her ear, and when she glanced at him he nodded with his head in the direction of the lake. And there Rose saw a sea of rippling, pale green faces in the water: the merpeople of the lake, most hovering just below the surface but one or two with their head above water, staring over the crowd of people in the direction of Hagrid's grave. As she watched they began to sing, slowly at first but gathering in intensity and feeling. At the same time Hagrid's body, huge even in death, was carried by the teachers slowly down the rows of seats to its final resting place. They set him down gently upon the earth, and a moment later in a brilliant flash of light what had once been an empty hole became a long, low marble tomb, alongside Dumbledore's. The song of the merpeople faded slowly away, leaving only Shadow's whines and whimpers.

"He's gone," she whispered. Her voice cracked a little from her tears. "He's really gone."

She felt Lorcan shift slightly beside her, and a moment later his hand slipped into hers, warm and comforting. He squeezed her fingers, his grip strong.

"I know." His hand tightened around hers, until it was the only feeling in the world. Above them the sky darkened and a gust of wind brought the first drops of rain.

From deep within the forest, a bird burst into song, a heartbreaking melody of mourning and loss. And behind the sweetness of the call a harsher, deeper voice rang out, rough with pain and loss. But Rose stared blankly ahead, Lorcan's hand like a lifeline around hers. And at the end of the song her inner voice cried out: _where are you? Where have you gone?_

* * *

><p>She sent him one more letter.<p>

_Scorpius,_

_ This will be my last letter. _

_ I'm not sure why I'm sending it, as there's next to no chance that you'll reply. But I thought you should know: today I attended Hagrid's funeral. _

_ You told me once that you and he were friends. I think I believed you too. Now I'm not so sure. I thought I knew you but now I don't think I know who you are. Maybe everything you ever told me was a lie._

_ I think I can honestly say that this is goodbye. You didn't want to fight, and I don't have the strength to do it alone anymore. _

_ I hope you have a good life._

_ Rose._

She sent it using one of Hogwarts' owls, a friendly tawny bird that nipped her finger affectionately before taking flight. It was night time now, the post-funeral banquet over and all the guests returned home. The sky was dark and cloudy and threatened a storm, typical of late November. It might already be snowing in Scandinavia. Rose shivered, wrapping her cloak more tightly around herself and glancing forlornly at the sullen bundle that was Pig, high up in the rafters, before turning on her heel and walking down the steps of the tower.

In the common room she found Lorcan waiting for her. He had two cups of hot chocolate, one of which he handed to her with a smile.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyes sweeping her quickly as though looking for signs of injury.

Outside a gust of wind caused the rafters to shudder, and Rose fancied she could hear the whistling of it through the forest. "I don't know."

"You will be, though."

She looked at him, and saw the certainty of conviction in his hazel eyes. "You think so?"

"Yeah."

She smiled, and took a sip of hot chocolate. "Thanks."

"Anytime." He kissed her cheek, and the first spark of warmth lit within her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew, that was intense. I worked really hard on getting this chapter right (hence why the update's taken so long), so I'd really love to hear people's thoughts about it. I didn't want Hagrid to die, he's like my favourite character ever, but his time came and I couldn't prevent it. I just hope I did his memory justice. RIP Hagrid :(  
><strong>

**In other news, the next chapter is nearly finished, so hopefully another update shouldn't be too far away. **


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: There are numerous reasons this chapter took so long. I won't bother going into them here. Just want to say thanks to those gorgeous people who take the time to review and share their thoughts with me. You guys are the reason I keep ploughing on with this story! **

**I know some people hate song rec's with stories, but I'm going to do it anyway :P. If I could humbly recommend 'c_ome back when you can' _by Barcelona for this chapter... and let me know what you think of it! **

* * *

><p>Roses are Red <p>

Chapter Thirty-Nine

* * *

><p>"<em>Vera Verto."<em>

The tabby cat sitting on her desk continued to mewl, swishing its tail lazily and staring back at her with large, insolent eyes.

Rose frowned. She readjusted the grip she had on her wand, concentrating hard as she repeated the spell.

_"Vera Verto."_

Nothing happened. She clenched her teeth, glancing up furtively to ensure that nobody had noticed her failure. Thankfully Professor Millew was preoccupied at the back of the classroom trying to help Peoria, whose cat had leapt onto her lap and was trying to scratch her eyes out, and the rest of the class were for the most part too busy with their own work to pay attention to her. Looking around at them, Rose could see that the majority of the students had affected at least _some _element of the required transformation. Flora had almost completely succeeded; on her desk, a small puppy ran around in energetic circles, only the bushiness of its tail and its amber eyes belying its original form. Rose cursed inwardly and tried to refocus on her own animal.

_"Vera Verto!"_

The cat twitched, flicking its tail back and forth. Rose took a deep breath, blinking away the childish tears that had sprung to her eyes. She was Head Girl; she didn't just breakdown over something as stupid as a spell-block. What kind of example did that set to other students? It wasn't really that difficult, she just had to –

"Miss Weasley?"

Rose jumped; she hadn't noticed the Professor swooping in on her, and now the teacher stood above her desk with a heavy frown.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-no ma'am," Rose said in a valiant attempt at composure. "I'm just… " her jaw locked and she couldn't get the words out.

"Just having trouble with the spell?"

Rose gave a stiff nod, praying the rest of the class were too busy with their own work to pay attention to her humiliation.

"Very well," said Professor Millew, her voice stern but kindly. "Let me see you try."

Rose stared at the cat. She flexed her fingers, breathed deeply; concentrated. _You can do this. You can do this. _

_ "Vera Verto."_

The cat gave a lazy yawn, stretching its front paws before flopping back in disinterest. Rose could feel Professor Millew's eyes burning into her; she stared at her desk and didn't look up.

"I see." Professor Millew sounded disappointed. "Well, there doesn't appear to be a problem with your technique. Keep practising, and we'll see if you've progressed by the end of the lesson."

But by the time the bell rang Rose had done nothing more than tire herself out. Her fingers ached from the tight grip she had held on her wand, and her head felt like it was being squeezed by an elastic band. She avoided her classmates and the eyes of her teacher as she left, swiping her bag off the desk and exiting the room before anyone could talk to her.

"Rose?"

Obviously she had not gone fast enough. Rose ground to a halt a few steps outside the classroom, wondering if she could make a dash for freedom. Perhaps she could claim nature's call and sprint into the nearest bathroom to take refuge with Moaning Myrtle? But that would only be a temporary fix. Far better to get this particular conversation over with.

She fixed a neutral expression on her face and turned around. "Hello, Charlie."

He was gazing at her as though he expected her to explode in his face at any moment. "How are you?" he asked, stepping aside to let a couple of students past him.

"Fine," she answered stiffly.

There was an awkward pause. "That – that's good," Charlie said at last, looking uncomfortable. "I mean, I heard about… you know… "

She stared at him, and said nothing.

"Listen," he went on, leaning closer and lowering his voice. "I just wanted to say… about what happened last year – "

"Last year was a watershed moment in the Rotfang Conspiracy," came a voice behind Rose's right shoulder. She didn't need to look to know it was Lorcan.

Charlie looked nonplussed. He stared at Lorcan as though he was a blast-ended Skrewt that had suddenly appeared from mid-air. "I'm sorry?"

"The Rotfang Conspiracy," repeated Lorcan. When Charlie continued to gape he went on in a patient voice, as though explaining to a young child. "In May, the Head of the Confederacy of South American Warlocks confirmed publicly for the first time that the correlation between dental disease and early presidential retirements from the Wizengamot had been inadequately studied. This is the first time a Witch or Wizard of such high status has publicly announced his faith in the authenticity of Rotfang. Except for the 57th Wizengamot in 1972 when Albus Dumbledore spoke about – "

"I'm sorry," Charlie cut in, his forehead tightening in annoyance. "But I was having a conversation with Rose. _Privately_," he added pointedly.

"Rose understands the importance of Rotfang," said Lorcan, either oblivious to the hostility radiating from his housemate or choosing to ignore it.

"I don't think – "

"No," Rose interrupted before Charlie could say anything else. "Lorcan's right. I do understand. Anyway, I'm late for meeting Dom. Excuse me," and she brushed past both boys without a second glance.

* * *

><p>It was surprisingly easy, as Rose discovered in the following weeks, to become the sort of person nobody wanted to spend time with. All she had to do was avoid eye contact, and answer any question directed her way with as little interest and enthusiasm as possible; and soon enough the questions stopped coming, and she found herself unbothered by most people beyond her Head Girl duties. There were only two real exceptions to that rule. The first was Dom, who seemed to have decided that the best way of making up for a summer of fighting was to stick by her side whenever she could. The second was Lorcan.<p>

"What do you think about Rwanda?"

She looked up from the book she had been pretending to read, regarding her Ravenclaw friend with a blank expression.

"Er…"

"They have amazing mountain gorilla colonies there," he explained. "Did you know some Hominidae have actually displayed signs of rudimentary magic?"

She shook her head.

"Father thinks it would be a worthy study for my post-Hogwarts research project," he went on.

Rose blinked. She could see the excitement shining in Lorcan's eyes at the prospect of his future, and wondered dully where her own enthusiasm had gone. "That's great," she forced out.

"Do you have any idea what you want to do after school?"

His question was casual, but Rose felt the pressure of an answer weighing on her shoulders like a tonne of bricks. She took a long sip of water to avoid responding. As she drank she tried to picture herself in five years time, where she would be, and what she wanted to do with her life. Her mind drew a blank. The future after Hogwarts was black, just a dark nothingness filled with uncertainty. She blinked as her vision threatened to blur. This was supposed to be the year when she made those decisions, decisions that would shape the rest of her life. Once, it would have seemed exciting, thinking of all the possibilities that lay before her; now, the very thought of it terrified her.

"Rose?"

"I don't know," she answered, resisting the urge to be defensive and opting instead for feigned nonchalance. "My first plan is to finish this book, and then my Charms essay. After that who knows?"

She went back to reading, but for a long time she could feel Lorcan's eyes on her, and his concern was like a blanket wrapped too tight around her shoulders, half-comforting, half-strangling.

Dom's approach to cheering her up was vastly different. "We're going to Hogsmeade," she announced loudly one Sunday morning, bursting in to Rose's bedroom without bothering to knock.

Rose groaned, rolling over and trying to ignore the interruption. She had only dropped off a few hours earlier, just as dawn was beginning to lighten the sky, and her whole body ached with exhaustion.

Dom clapped her hands. "Come on beautiful," she said crisply. "Time to rise and shine!"

"Go away."

"Tut tut," Dom lectured, flinging the curtain's open and letting in a flood of blinding light. Rose threw the pillow over her face with a hiss. "You're being silly, my darling."

Rose let out a string of profanities, her mutterings growing louder when Dom vanished her pillow with a flick of her wand. She sat up and glared as fiercely as possible, but her cousin only laughed.

"Don't look at me like that!" she admonished, wagging a finger at her. "I'm only trying to help you."

"How did you even get in here?"

"Lorcan let me in."

Rose sighed, scraping a hand across her face and trying to think of an excuse. "I feel sick," she offered after a moment's consideration.

Dom bounced onto the end of the bed, looking irritatingly happy for such an early hour. "Well, I know exactly what you need to make you feel better."

Somehow she highly doubted that, particularly if it didn't begin in bed and end in sleep. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. Shopping therapy," Dom replied, tossing her blonde hair behind one shoulder. "We need to get away from this stuffy old castle for a while, breathe some fresh air! And let me do your hair. I reckon I can see your split ends from here!"

There was no real sense in arguing. Rose dragged herself out of bed and let Dom do as she wanted, knowing it was easier to agree than trying to fight her, and that no matter what she would get no more rest that day. And her hair _was _getting too long, stretching almost to the small of her back; Dom cut it to her waist, which she had to admit felt better.

* * *

><p>Rose soon discovered that her inability to perform complicated magic was not confined to Transfiguration. In Charms, where they were practising non-verbal conjuring spells, she found herself at as much of a stand still as she had been trying to cast <em>Vera Verto. <em>The storm in a teacup she was supposed to be conjuring failed to materialise, even when she finally resorted to speaking the words of enchantment aloud.

"Not to worry," said Professor Spitflick kindly, although he watched her with growing concern as she struggled. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually. You've never failed to before!"

Dom, who took Charms with her, leaned across the table; her own tea cup had a healthy storm cloud over it, and heavy rain, although no thunder and lightning as the spell required.

"What's wrong?" she asked Rose in an undertone as Professor Spitflick bounced off elsewhere. "I don't think I've _ever _mastered a spell faster than you before."

Rose shrugged. She fingered her wand, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. "I guess… I'm out of practise," she suggested miserably.

Dom continued to frown, clearly sceptical. After a while she wet her lips and began in a tentative voice, "My dad says, sometimes after a big shock – "

"I haven't had a big shock," she snapped, and Dom's eyes widened at the rebuke.

"Rose – "

"I'm _fine," _she said again, turning away from her cousin and putting an abrupt end to the conversation.

Later, she sought refuge in the silence of the Head common rooms, trying again and again to perform the spells required of her. But for all her effort she made no progress, succeeding only in exhausting herself, until her wand arm ached and even the simplest magic was beyond her. Then she went into her bedroom, curling up with the curtains drawn, and slept.

When she woke it was dark outside. Rose sat up and cast a time spell, hating that she had to consciously think about what she was doing when it should have been second nature. The clock showed eleven thirty. Well past dinner, and well past her rostered Prefect patrols.

She wandered out of her bedroom seeking water, and found Lorcan half-dozing on the couch, a book titled _The Rwandan Great Apes _open on his lap. He jerked awake when the steps creaked, and stared at her blearily.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"What's the time?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and blinking owlishly at her.

"Half-past eleven."

He got up and stretched, dislodging the book to the floor. "You missed dinner."

"I fell asleep," she offered lamely.

"I organised for Simoly to take your Prefect rounds," he said.

She smiled at him in genuine relief. "Thanks."

They stared at each other for a moment. Rose could see the concern in Lorcan's eyes, but she knew he would never press her further about her issues. Not unless she offered. That was one of the things she liked so much about him.

"I've been… " she swallowed, struggling to find the words. Her gaze drifted to the fire and she stared into the flames until her eyes hurt. "Having trouble with my magic," she said at last.

Out of the corner of her vision she saw him nod.

"I think – I think… maybe I've got –" she dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling the colour rise to her cheeks. "Maybe there's a problem."

"It happens to my mother sometimes," said Lorcan.

Her head snapped up in surprise. "Really?" She studied his reaction, trying to determine whether he was being serious, because with Lorcan you never really knew. It seemed very hard to believe. She had met Luna Scamander multiple times and the witch had never seemed the least bit hampered in her magic.

"Sure," said Lorcan. "She saw some pretty terrible things in the war, you know?" His tone was so matter-of-fact Rose almost didn't comprehend what he was saying. "Every now and then she has flashbacks to it, and when that happens sometimes she struggles to do magic. Dad calls it Luna's Lightness, because he says magic is a burden and not having it for a while can be a good thing."

Rose huffed a laugh, because it was such a Lorcan thing to say and now she knew where he got it from. But at the same time the tender lovingness of such a statement threatened to bring tears to her eyes. "What does she do to get it back?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Waits, mostly," he said. "Dad says stress only makes it worse. Sometimes, if it gets really bad, they go on trips together, away from England. That helps."

"Your parents are lucky to have one another," she commented.

Lorcan grinned, the action lighting up his face and making him seem more grown up than usual. "Yeah."

"It's a pity I can't go somewhere else," she went on, edging closer to the fire and away from the night's chill.

"You could," said Lorcan.

She looked at him askance. "What, leave Hogwarts?" she asked incredulously. "And go where?"

"Anywhere," he said with a crooked smile, as though he found her amazement amusing. "If you really wanted to you could. You're seventeen now, aren't you? You can do whatever you want."

"I – " she ran a hand through her hair, an irrational picture forming in her mind; of running off to Norway, tracking down Durmstrang, finding Scorpius and… and… her imagination came to an abrupt, painful halt. "I want to stay at Hogwarts," she said firmly.

Lorcan smiled again, but his features weren't as bright as before. "I'll help you, if you want," he said mildly. "With your magic."

She was loath to accept the offer, generous as she knew it was. She didn't want to admit she had a problem. But there was no judgment in Lorcan's gaze, and if his mother had the same issues…

"Maybe," she said at last.

He nodded, before gesturing to a small bundle lying on the coffee table. "I brought you some food," he said. "From dinner. I thought you might be hungry."

Warmth flooded her and she grinned broadly. "You shouldn't have," she said, even as she shuffled forward and collapsed onto the couch, her stomach groaning in expectation of its missed meal.

Lorcan unwrapped the napkin with a chuckle. "Pumpkin pastries," he said, handing them to Rose as he spoke. "And an asparagus pie. I know that's your favourite."

She bit into the pastry and only just stifled a moan of pleasure. "Merlin, that's good," she said. Without thinking she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, then kissed him quickly on the cheek. Lorcan's face flamed and he jumped away from the couch as though she had burned him.

"Well, goodnight," he said, fleeing before she could get another word out.

Rose leaned back in the couch, finding her friend's awkwardness slightly endearing. She curled her toes and basked in the warmth of the fire and the heartiness of the good food. Perhaps things weren't so bad after all….

* * *

><p>The year rolled on, so quickly Rose sometimes wondered whether time was playing tricks on her. She spent most of her time in the Head common rooms, practising magic over and over again until her fingers burned and her wand practically hummed with energy. It didn't appear to make much difference; she still struggled to perform to her normal standard in class. The only subject she really excelled in was Potions, where she could prepare ingredients and monitor her concoctions in a sort of self-imposed solitude. Professor Cauldrish never treated her any differently from anyone else, and indeed her difficulties didn't seem to follow her into that particular branch of magic. Having Albus' presence at her side, one of the few times they could spend time alone together, was an added bonus. And so in its own way Potions became a kind of retreat, where once it had been a torture.<p>

They didn't talk about Scorpius. She knew her cousin was itching to, but after one or two failed attempts to draw her out of her shell he respected her wishes, and for that she was grateful. Nonetheless, she could see the anger that tightened Albus' features whenever Scorpius' memory came to mind –talking about Quidditch, and the search for a new Slytherin seeker, or the empty seat beside him that Flora had filled – and she knew exactly how he was feeling.

Her contact with Flora was limited. Although she sat on Albus' other side in Potions, Rose hardly spoke to her, and she gathered this arrangement suited Flora as well. Rose could never quite work out how she felt about the Slytherin girl. On one hand, she would gladly never speak to her again; on the other, she felt a strange sort of solidarity with her. After all, hadn't they both loved Scorpius, in their own way? Maybe of everyone Flora knew best how she was feeling…

As it turned out, her Head Girl duties necessitated a certain amount of contact between them. One night, when Flora had lingered in the Prefect meeting room to organise a change of patrol shift with another student, Rose seized the opportunity to talk to her.

"Um, Flora," she called softly as the blonde started to leave. Flora paused, turning back with an unreadable expression on her face. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Rose asked.

Flora didn't move, neither a refusal nor acceptance. The other Prefect scurried out and Lorcan, who was tidying up the paperwork on the desk, glanced up in surprise at the pregnant silence.

"I'll see you back in the Common Room," he said to Rose, displaying an uncharacteristic awareness of the situation before following the other student out and shutting the door behind him.

The silence descended upon them like a blanket. Rose shifted her weight, telling herself not to be nervous. She had known Flora for seven years, for Merlin's sake! How difficult could it be to have a simple conversation?

She cleared her throat. "Look, I just wanted to say," she paused, vaguely recognising that she had, in fact, no idea what she wanted to say. "Umm…"

Flora stared at her. Her eyes were hard; not unfriendly, exactly, but certainly not warm either.

"Listen, I… " Rose bit her lip. "I guess you know why I want to talk to you," she forced out at last.

Flora's expression didn't change. "I can guess, yeah," she said flatly.

"I was just wondering… when – um, when you found out that Scorpius would be going to Durmstrang?" she asked, deciding to cut to the chase and not beat around the bush with pointless niceties.

The question hung in the air, heavy and stifling.

For a while Flora chewed her tongue, as though considering her answer. Finally, she shrugged and said, "When he enrolled."

Rose bit her tongue, resisting the urge to snap back as she normally would have done with such a non-committal answer. "And when was that exactly?" she asked.

Flora's look was very direct now. "I believe it was shortly after he was accused of trying to rape you, actually."

Rose choked, unpleasant memories rising to the surface of her mind and her stomach twisting at the poison in the other girl's tone. "You heard about that?" she found herself saying.

Flora smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant expression and didn't reach her eyes, which remained cool. "News travels fast amongst the old families," she said.

"Oh." Rose resisted the urge to rise to the bait. She would be the bigger person. She hadn't done anything wrong, no matter how much Flora stared at her as though she was something she had found crushed under her boot. "Well…"

"Is that all?" Flora demanded icily.

_No. _"How did he react?" she asked, against her better judgement.

Flora raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"Scorpius?" she clarified, already wishing she hadn't started this conversation. It was obvious that Flora wasn't interested in being friendly. Her eyes said it all; that she blamed Rose for Scorpius' absence, that she didn't think her worthy of him. "When he found out that he was going to Durmstrang, how did he – how did he seem?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

There was too much sting in that particular question. Rose took a deep breath and switched her gaze to the window.

"He likes it there," Flora went on when Rose didn't reply. "It suits him. People at Durmstrang don't judge him for who his father is, like they did here."

The acidity in her tone was unmistakable now. Rose swallowed the bitterness that rose up in her throat. "So – so you still talk to him?" she asked.

"Why shouldn't I?" demanded Flora, sounding defensive. "We've been friends since we were babies."

"Uh-huh."

"It's not like I just used him as some stupid way to get back at my father."

Rose flinched, her eyes snapping back to the other girl. That one had definitely hurt. "What exactly are you trying to say?" she demanded, not raising her voice but lacing it with warning. She was willing to put up with a lot from this snooty Slytherin bitch, but she had certainly crossed a line. And Scorpius or no Scorpius Rose was tired of putting up with it.

Flora sighed, and her expression relented slightly as though she regretted her previous harsh words. "Nothing," she said wearily. "I just think everyone's better off this way. Especially Scorpius. But if you want I can tell him you say hi – "

"No!" Rose shook her head. She strode toward the door, her hands clenched into trembling fists inside the pockets of her gown. "No, don't do that. I can talk to him myself if I – if I want. Just… forget I said anything. I'll see you later," and she hurried out the door before Flora could see the first of her tears fall.

* * *

><p>Weeks passed, and before Rose knew it the winter holidays were upon them. As usual, the plan was for the entire family to gather at the Burrow, just as they had every Christmas since before Rose could remember.<p>

"It'll be good to see everyone again," said Dom casually as they sat about in the Gryffindor common room one night, pouring over their Defence essays. "Although Vic will probably be intolerable. She's spent half of the last six months in _Monaco_, for Merlin's sake. I don't know if I can listen to how everything in her life is absolutely wonderful and perfect compared to mine."

Rose stared out the window, only half listening. The first flakes of snow were just beginning to fall, swirling in the breeze and glowing faintly in the refracted firelight.

"I can't wait to see James and Fred again," continued Dom. Rose could see her cousin's reflection in the glass pane of the window, her concerned expression belying the lightness of her speech. "I think they'll have some amazing stories to tell about India, don't you?"

Rose titled her head, contemplating. She hadn't seen either James of Fred since the wedding. The memory of their faces on that night made her stomach clench with anxiety.

"Rose?"

"I don't think I'm going to come."

Dom sighed, as though she had been expecting such a response. "I thought you might say that," she said, closing the thick tomb on her lap and tucking her feet beneath herself. "Why not?"

Rose turned back to face the room. "I need to practise my magic," she said without quite meeting Dom's gaze. "I'm far enough behind as it is and, well… " the rest of her words hung unspoken. _And I can't face them. Not yet._

"No one blames you, you know," said Dom softly.

"How do you know that?" Rose glanced down at her lap, her mind full of the memory of her father's words at Hagrid's funeral. She hadn't written to her parents since then, though her mother had sent her a letter wishing her well. Her father's handwriting had been conspicuously absent from that note.

Dom sighed again. "None of this is your fault."

"Mmm."

"Seriously – "

Rose turned back to the window. "I just have a lot of catching up to do," she repeated, too tired to try and argue.

There was a long silence. Outside, the wind was rattling against the castle walls. There were only a few Gryffindors besides themselves in the common room; it was nearing midnight and most students had well and truly gone to bed. Rose knew she should get up and go back to her own room, but her legs refused to obey the suggestion.

"Are you still having trouble?" asked Dom in a tentative voice. "With your magic?"

Rose nodded, unwilling to meet her friend's gaze.

"Maybe… maybe going home will help," suggested Dom. "You know, see your mum again, and – and your dad. Or… " she faltered at the lack of response. "Or I mean if you really want to stay here, I guess there's nothing wrong with that either…"

The portrait hole swung open, sparing Rose from having to reply. She blinked in surprise as she recognised the tumble of copper hair coming towards them.

Lily pulled up short as she caught sight of them. A guilty expression flashed across her face before she shrugged and shot a grin at them.

"Oh hi guys," she idled over and stood before the fire, wriggling her fingers out of her mittens. "What's up?"

"Where have you been?" asked Dom, sharing an amused look with Rose.

Lily's grin widened. "Nowhere much."

"Oh really?" Dom gave her younger cousin a penetrating look. "And this 'nowhere much' wouldn't have anything to do with Benny Jacobs, would it?"

"Dom!" Lily hissed, her eyes flicking to the other students in the room to make sure they weren't listening. "How did you know?" she continued in a murmur.

"Oh please," Dom flicked a page in her book with a roll of her eyes. "Do you think I was born yesterday? You two are _so _obvious."

Lily huffed, but Rose thought she looked rather pleased with herself. "Well, don't tell anyone," she said, flopping into one of the spare armchairs. "We're trying to keep a low profile."

Dom snorted. "You mean, you don't want Albus to know?"

"It's not just Albus," said Lily. "It's the whole family drama thing. It's so much _easier _when they're not involved. Rose understands, don't you Rose?"

She certainly did. Rose clenched her teeth, remembering the internal arguments she had had with herself for most of last year, debating whether or not to tell her family about Scorpius. If only she hadn't listened to her conscience, and had kept it all a secret… Yet Scorpius had wanted her to tell them. Had he known, even then, that he wouldn't be around for the fall out?

"Rose?"

They were both staring at her. She cleared her throat. "Er… yeah."

"Albus doesn't have a leg to stand on, anyway," continued Lily as though not noticing Rose's vagueness. "You should've seen what he and Flora were getting up to the other day."

"_What?" _Rose stared at her younger cousin, unable to believe her ears. Her shocked expression was mirrored on Dom's face.

"Mm-hmm," said Lily, sitting up straighter to relate the gossip. "Last Thursday I was taking that shortcut between the seventh floor and the Astronomy Tower, you know the one behind the tapestry of that one-eyed hag and the troll? Yeah, well who should I see but Albus and Flora snogging _right _there in front of me!" Her nose crinkled and she made a face. "I mean seriously, you're _both _in Slytherin, why on earth would you need to snog in the corridors? Get a room!"

Rose put a hand to her stomach, which had begun to churn with nausea at Lily's words. She stood up, barely noticing the concern of her companions.

"Where are you going?" asked Dom.

"I – " Albus and Flora? Albus and _Flora? _It was like the world had been tilted upside down and everything that had used to make sense was now wrong. "It's late," she mumbled at last.

"I forgot you don't sleep here anymore," said Lily casually.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Rose – "

"Night."

As she walked slowly back from the Gryffindor common room to her own bedroom. Rose tried to digest what she had just learnt. A part of her wanted to storm to the Slytherin common rooms, burst into Albus' dormitory and demand an explanation from her cousin. But the sensible part of her brain reminded her that it was really none of her business who Albus dated. Just because she and Flora didn't get along… just because Flora and Scorpius had – had –

She stormed into the Head room so abruptly she startled Lorcan, causing him to knock the carefully aligned planetary system he was constructing to the floor.

"Oh, hi Rose," he said, scrambling to pick the condensed galaxy back up. "How was your – "

"I've decided," she announced dramatically, cutting him off.

He blinked at her for several seconds before asking, "Um… decided what, exactly?"

She strode over to him and helped him to reposition his Jupiter, which had wobbled way off of its orbit. "I've decided that I don't care," she told him in a fierce whisper.

He gave her a somewhat anxious glance. "Care about what?"

"Anything!" she declared triumphantly.

"Anything?"

"Anything!" She paced over to the steps of her room, unable to keep still. "Albus is snogging Flora and I _don't care. _I don't care! I don't care about anything anymore. Except myself," she added as an afterthought, pulling up short as though to think about this for a moment.

"Are you sure you haven't been exposed to any gnackspurs?" Lorcan inquired, peering at her as though studying her for signs of an infestation. "Or beesle spray? It comes in on Christmas trees at this time of year, you know, and – "

"Nope!" She laughed. "Not a drop! I'm just so _tired _of caring. Don't you think life's so much easier when you don't care about anything?"

Lorcan scratched his head, a perfectly proportioned Neptune still suspended on the end of his wand. "In some ways," he mused. "I suppose. But if you don't care there's no motivation in life, and that makes things difficult, doesn't it?"

"I still have motivation for myself," she countered, having gone past the point of reasoning to being thoroughly convinced in the rightness of her argument. "But this is what I love about you, Lorcan! You always tell the truth. With you, I know exactly what I'm getting."

"I think that's a compliment," Lorcan said as he carefully drew Neptune back to its rightful place.

"It is!"

"Well good. But… " he trailed off with a thoughtful expression.

"But what?" she pressed.

He fiddled with the ring of his miniature Saturn. "Well, caring is good," he said at last, not quite meeting her gaze. "It's important."

"It's really not," she retorted, annoyed that he hadn't allowed her to continue in her happy oblivion for a while longer. "All if means is that you inevitably become upset when other people do things to hurt you. And when…" her vision blurred and suddenly she wasn't in the Head common room with Lorcan Scamander anymore; she was in a very different room, with a very different boy.

_"Scorpius!" she laughed as she swatted his hand away from her hair. _

_ "Sorry," he mumbled, sounding not the least bit sorry at all. His hand drifted from her hair to her neck, and her eyelids fluttered traitorously at the touch. "It's just so… red."_

_ "I'm aware of that."_

_ "When it catches the sun you look like you're on fire," he said, an intensity to his voice that made her easy smile slip. _

_ She curled up closer to him on the sofa, moving out of the direct rays of sun slanting in through the high window. "We're supposed to be studying," she said, trailing a finger across his jaw. _

_ He smirked. "Fuck studying."_

_ "We've got a test." _

_ "Fuck the test."_

_ She giggled, before clapping a hand over her mouth. His hands had been slowly creeping towards her waist, and she yelped when he suddenly tugged her closer to him, his arm wrapping around her hips to keep her from wriggling away._

_ "Scorpius!"_

_ "Who cares about the test?" he murmured, his lips kissing her hairline down to her ear. _

_ She gaped at him in mock horror. "Who cares about the test?" she repeated incredulously. "Who _cares _about the test? Are we talking about the same thing here? You know, the test that's going to make up one quarter of our final grade?"_

_ Scorpius cocked his head to the side. "You're right," he said, leaning away from her and slapping the back of his hand to his forehead in dramatic fashion. "What am I saying? The test," he grabbed her again and pulled her back for another kiss, one hand reaching out to curl in her hair. "Merlin you're so distracting…"_

_ She concurred with a moan, clinging to the front of his shirt. Why was he so addictive? And what was so important about that stupid test anyway?_

_ "Scorpius!" she pulled back and tried to disentangle her hand from his. "The test!"_

_ "Fuck the test."_

_ "Merlin – you – are – impossible!" _

_ He drew back marginally, an impish look on his face. "You know when you get mad your cheeks flash all red. Right here," he pinched her right cheek and she scowled. "You're just so _red _Rose." He laughed as she tackled him back into the sofa, cursing spectacularly. _

_ "At least I've _got _colour you albino – "_

_ "Hey!" he rolled over so that he was pinning her instead, trying to get a good grip on her hands but failing when she tickled his ribs. "That's – that's too far!" He buckled a little as she tickled him in earnest. "No – no s-stop!"_

_ She grinned wickedly, taking the advantage while she had it. Sure enough, within a few moments Scorpius had recovered enough to tug her hands away from his midriff, shifting them above her head and giving her a reproachful look. _

_ "That was below the belt," he scolded._

_ "All's fair in love and war."_

_ "Is it now?" Without warning, he leaned in and kissed her, and Rose had to stop herself from melting into a puddle of warmth as pleasure trickled down her spine. When he pulled back his eyes were a little glazed, but he smirked as he said, "I might just have to remember that."_

_ They were close enough that she could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Once more he bent to claim her lips, but this time his kiss was whisper soft, the gentlest of touches that nonetheless made her toes curl and her breath catch. _

_ "Now," he grinned, lifting himself off of her and picking up the textbook that lay discarded at their feet. "About that test, Rose…"_

"Rose? Rose?"

She blinked, vaguely aware that there were tears streaming down her face, sticking her eyelashes together and leaving the tang of salt on her lips. Through her blurred vision she thought she could see Lorcan standing in front of her, his face creased with concern.

"Are you alright? Rose?"

Who was she kidding? Of course she cared. She cared more than anything and that was why it hurt, why it felt like her insides were burning and screaming and she just couldn't _breathe _without him anymore.

Lorcan muttered something under his breath, and all of a sudden Rose found herself swinging sideways as he took her legs out from under her and picked her up, carrying her in his arms up the stairs to her room. He kicked the door open and laid her down on her bed, and still she couldn't speak, couldn't even lift her eyes to acknowledge him.

"Try and get some sleep Rose," he whispered, bending over her to press a kiss to her forehead. She shivered, tucking her head into her arms and giving in to the first wracking sob that bubbled up within her.

"I – I'm sorry," she tried to say, knowing how pathetic she was acting and wishing she had the strength to pretend she was alright.

"Shh," Lorcan smoothed her hair away from her face, then drew a blanket over her with such gentle tenderness it only made her cry harder. "It'll be okay."

He shut the door behind him with a click, but his words remained, echoing in her head like a half-remembered lullaby. _It'll be okay… It'll be okay… It'll be okay…_

She wished she could believe him.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Yes, I am still alive. What can I honestly say? You have no idea how many times this chapter has been written, discarded, rewritten, shredded, folded up in a little ball, chucked out the window, stomped on, cried on, shouted at, and given the giant middle finger. In the end I just forced myself to publish it. And so here I am.**

**Quick recap: Scorpius has been sent to Durmstrang, and Rose (Head Girl, Seventh Year) is upset (may be a slight understatement). She chooses to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas break rather than face her family, especially her dad who is uber-mad. And so here she is.**

* * *

><p>Roses are Red<p>

Chapter Forty

* * *

><p>In the end, the winter solitude became her greatest medicine. With everyone's departure for the holidays, she was left in peace to wander the castle alone, soaking up the atmosphere of her first Hogwarts' Yuletide and enjoying the lack of demand upon her time. Under normal circumstances, and knowing the festivities she was missing with her family, she might have felt lonely, but for the moment at least it was exactly what she needed, even if she did sometimes feel more akin to the ghosts that were often her only company for days.<p>

There were other students around, of course, but she avoided most of them, and nobody made a point of coming to find her. Instead she applied herself to her studies, and with time and patience felt her confidence and magic begin to filter back, like warmth returning to her hands after a long time in the cold. She chose not to linger in the Great Hall outside of meal times, despite it offering the best sense of comfort and warmth and serving as the meeting place of most of the remaining students. Something about the twelve frosted Christmas trees reminded her too much of Hagrid to stay there for very long.

There was still a week to go in the holidays when Professor McGonagall sought her out. She was sitting in the library reading an ancient book on popular medieval charms when the Headmistress appeared in front of her, wrapped in a thick winter cloak and with her hair hidden beneath a felted witch's hat. It was such a surprise to see her standing there that for a while all Rose could do was stare.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you," Professor McGonagall said at last. She surveyed Rose over the rim of her spectacles, her expression somehow managing to be both stern and sympathetic at the same time.

"N-no." Rose shut the book and stood up. There was nobody else in the library beside themselves and Madam Beauvoir, hovering nearby amongst the bookshelves. The silence stretched. "What can I do for you, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall arched an eyebrow, no doubt amused at the overly formal tone. Rose blushed. "I've been meaning to talk to you," the Headmistress went on as though nothing was amiss. "About some upcoming plans regarding the Quidditch."

Rose's shoulders relaxed, releasing the tension that had been building in them. From the way Professor McGonagall had been speaking, she had almost thought… it had almost seemed as if… Swiftly, she banished the treacherous thoughts that threatened to invade her mind, and focused on the conversation at hand. "The Quidditch? What about it?"

"I'm not sure if you're aware of the issues that surrounded our last attempt to hold the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" Professor McGonagall asked.

It took longer than it should have for Rose to think of what she was talking about. "Er – sort of," she managed eventually, wracking her brains for the long-forgotten details. "There was a… a murder, or something, wasn't there?"

"Indeed," said Professor McGonagall drily. "And as a result the three major Wizarding schools decided to shelve any suggestion of recommencing that particular inter-school rivalry."

Rose waited, unsure what any of this had to do with the Quidditch.

"However, the Headmasters of Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and myself still believe in the importance of inter-school relations," Professor McGonagall went on. "As such, we have decided to hold our interaction in a new format." She waited, clearly expecting a response, but Rose could not think of anything to say.

"A new format, Professor?"

"Yes. A Quidditch tournament." There was a distinct hint of pride in Professor McGonagall's voice now. "Featuring the best players from each of the three schools. There will be a play-off, and the final team will be crowned this year's Inter-school Champion."

The library suddenly seemed a very inappropriate place to be having this conversation. Rose blinked, scrutinising her Professor's face closely for any signs of humour. Surely this had to be a joke? But Professor McGonagall appeared as earnest as ever, and Rose had never known her to be the sort to say things she didn't mean.

"The first tournament is to be held here at Hogwarts," the Headmistress continued briskly, either not noticing Rose's less than enthusiastic reaction or choosing to ignore it. "Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will each send a contingent of players, and they will be housed in the castle proper for the duration of the competition. Is this making sense to you, Miss Weasley?"

Rose blinked, focusing on Professor McGonagall's face with an effort. It was hard to think with her heart pounding so loudly in her ears. A Quidditch tournament, involving students from Durmstrang? At Hogwarts. But surely it wouldn't involve – surely he wouldn't – "When is this happening?" she asked, a little embarrassed at how hoarse her voice sounded.

"The consensus is late February, early March," said Professor McGonagall. Rose couldn't tell whether the Headmistress was pleased or not; her mouth remained in its usual austere line, and her expression gave away nothing. "That way the competition would occur well before exams, and the teachers needn't worry about having their studies compromised. It should also give us and the other schools enough time to organise a team, as well as all the other details that will need taking care of."

That sounded suspiciously like a request, to Rose. "What exactly will you need me to do?" she asked, throwing subtlety out the window in favour of straight answers. McGonagall gave her an approving nod.

"Oh, nothing too demanding, I shouldn't think," she said. "Welcome the guests, ensure they are settled in, help to chaperone and organise the crowds. Most of the administrative work will be done by Madam Howler and myself, as well as the Heads of Houses. And of course you'll have Mister Scamander to assist you."

Ah yes, Lorcan. The one person she had actually missed over these last few weeks of quiet. "Who else knows about this?" she asked, her brain skittering ahead.

Professor McGonagall's expression turned stern. "Outside of the staff, nobody but yourself. The Head Boy has been notified by owl, and when he returns, the nominated Quidditch captain will be briefed about organising a team. The rest of the school will be told at the appropriate time."

The nominated Quidditch captain. It could very well be Albus, Rose realised with a jolt. He would probably love the chance to prove himself against the other schools' teams. But against Scorpius? She couldn't really imagine it.

"I would ask you not to say anything until I've decided to make the announcement," Professor McGonagall said.

She couldn't help but be a little wounded at the insinuation. "Of course not," she huffed. A dozen other questions floated on the tip of her tongue, but none of them seemed all that appropriate. Would Scorpius be picked for the Durmstrang team? What would happen if he was to come back to Hogwarts? What would she say to him and what would he say to her? None of these seemed like the sorts of things she could ask Professor McGonagall.

"I am hoping it will be a great success," said the Headmistress, jerking Rose's attention back to her. For an old woman, she suddenly looked quite formidable. "Quidditch has long been a passion of mine, and I hope with this tournament we can reopen the channels of communication that once existed between the three major wizarding schools. They say sport crosses boundaries, after all."

Rose nodded, not sure what else she was supposed to say. Truthfully she couldn't think of anything more likely to stir up rivalries and old grudges than a Quidditch tournament, but something told her now was not the time to raise that particular objection.

"I hope you will do your best to accommodate the guests, and see to it that the rest of Hogwarts does the same," McGonagall continued. This was getting more to the point of it, and Rose could see in her Headmistress' eyes what wasn't being plainly said aloud: _No dramas. No fights. No meltdowns. _

"Yes ma'm," she replied. "I'll do my best."

"Very good." Professor McGonagall took a step back and surveyed Rose's desk, piled with books and bits of loose parchment, with a critical air. "And how are you finding your studies, Miss Weasley?"

"Fine," she lied, a little too quickly. Professor McGonagall stared at her appraisingly.

"I had heard," she began in a tactful manner, "that you might be having some difficulties in transmutability?"

Rose had never heard of transmutability, but she didn't have to guess to know what Professor McGonagall was getting at. "It's fine," she said firmly. "It was just a hiccup. I'm better now."

"Be that as it may," said Professor McGonagall a little sternly. "It is hardly an uncommon or unexplainable phenomena. You should know that my door is always open to you, Rose, if you wish to discuss this further, or seek further improvement in private."

A flood of gratitude warmed Rose's face, and she smiled her first genuine smile in weeks. "Thank you, Professor. I'll be sure to remember that."

Professor McGonagall nodded in apparent satisfaction, then turned to go. Rose watched as she swept herself out of the library, even in her advanced years managing to look as regal and composed as ever. There was something comforting about that, she thought. Even if it couldn't last forever.

* * *

><p>Despite all the other distractions in her day to day life, Rose found her thoughts drifting to the idea of the Quidditch tournament almost continuously over the next week. By the time term arrived, and the flood of students returned from their holiday fun, she was almost desperate to talk to someone about it. But she remained true to her word, and refrained from mentioning it to Dom or Lily or any of the cousins that she greeted. Not even Albus, whose reaction she was dying to know, or Hugo, who was about as Quidditch mad as it was possible to be. That only left Lorcan, who brought it up himself on his very first night back.<p>

"I presume you've heard the news," he said, standing in front of the fire with his hands stretched out toward the flames. There was a swirling snowstorm outside and the castle was draughty and cold. "About the Quidditch."

Of all things, the fact that Lorcan was willing to talk about a sport he had no interest in reinforced to Rose what she had been trying to deny ever since McGonagall informed her of the tournament – that it was a big deal, and there would be no escaping it once the news broke to the rest of the school. It was this more than anything that made her shrug her shoulders in apparent disinterest, even as her stomach churned uneasily.

"Yeah, I have."

"And?" Lorcan pressed when she made no further comment. He was looking at her with a curious mix of surprise and pity, and she didn't like it.

"And what? When have I ever given two knuts about the Quidditch?"

Lorcan gazed at her for a long time, and she couldn't help but feel he was seeing straight through her charade of indifference, as usual. "Rose," he began, but she cut him off, already anticipating what he was going to say.

"Look, I don't even care. It's just some stupid inter-cultural experiment that McGonagall wants to run. All I have to do is make sure everything goes smoothly and that's it." Her voice was blustery, but paper-thin. Lorcan turned back to the fire.

"Okay," he said after a while. "So you don't care who wins?"

"No," she lied bullishly.

"Neither do I," he said. "But the others will."

She was tempted to ask who 'the others' were, but refrained at the last second. Instead all she said was, "Well I don't care what _they_ think, either."

He tilted his head but didn't glance in her direction. "You're still not caring, then?"

Her stomach gave a little flip. It was the first time either of them had mentioned that night before the holidays, when she had collapsed in an hysterical heap and he had carried to her room. She had almost begun to hope that entire episode had been a figment of her imagination, but it didn't appear that Lorcan had forgotten as she had hoped he would. "That wasn't what I meant," she answered.

"I know." His expression brightened all at once and he moved to the couch, rummaging in his knapsack for a moment before straightening. "My mother bought you a present," he said, extending his hand towards her.

He was holding what appeared to be a small, empty bowl, made of glass and with a sealed top that opened with a clever little latching mechanism. More than willing to take up the change in topic, Rose hurried forward to examine it. It looked fragile, and when she accepted it from him she realised it was almost as weightless as a feather.

"Er… what is it?"

"It's a Savadhora," said Lorcan. His expression was so earnest she didn't dare laugh. "A care bowl."

"And… what does it do, exactly?"

"You use it to store all your cares and worries," Lorcan explained patiently. "So that they don't weigh you down during the day."

Rose stared at him, wondering if this would be getting shelved next to Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Rotfang Conspiracies or whether it would actually do what he said it did. "How does it work?" she ventured to ask.

"It's really simple," said Lorcan. He moved closer to her as he explained, clearly enthusiastic about the magic. "You just hold it in both hands like this, and then you concentrate on removing your negative energy from yourself into the bowl. If it works, you should see a dark smoke enter the glass through your hands. It won't escape unless you want it to – then you can use the lid to open the bowl and dispose of the bad thoughts."

"Dispose of them?"

He shrugged. "Mum usually just goes out into the field near our house and tosses them into the wind. She says they all return to wherever they came from in the first place. I suppose as long as it's not to you then it doesn't really matter."

If Rose had not been raised around magic, the idea of extracting her cares and worries and emptying them into a paddock might have shocked her. But as it was all she could muster was a vague intellectual curiosity about the magical efficacy of such a procedure. She studied the glass bowl carefully; it appeared flawless, and relatively harmless. "I've never heard of it before."

"Mum says they're quite common in the East," said Lorcan.

She shot him a quick glance. "But not here?"

"Mum says our society simply has an inherent reluctance to open our minds to the greater possibilities of magic."

"Uh-huh." Rose cradled the glass bowl carefully, then gave him what she hoped was a genuine smile. "Well thank you. And thank your mother for me, too. I'm sorry I didn't get to see her this Christmas."

Lorcan's expression turned a little wistful. "Yeah, we all missed you at the Burrow. It wasn't quite the same without you."

With an effort she resisted the disbelieving look she wanted to give him. There were so many Weasleys and various other family members that attended her grandparents' annual Christmas dinner that she couldn't imagine her presence being particularly missed. No doubt it was Lorcan with a differing perspective as usual.

Lorcan must have read her thoughts, though, because a moment later his own forehead creased in irritation. "Don't," he said rather forcefully, and Rose blinked in surprise.

"Don't what?"

"Act like you don't believe me." Lorcan's eyes had narrowed, almost as though he was upset with her. It was such an unexpected reaction that for a while she didn't know what to say. "Like you think I'm just making it up."

"I – what are you – " she spluttered, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks at the accusative stare he was giving her. "I never said you were making it up!"

"We do care about you, you know," Lorcan said. His voice softened, and his eyes flicked away from her to stare into the fire. "Even if you don't realise it."

And before she could reply he turned and stalked away into his room. Rose stared after him, at a loss as to what she had done to ruin the light-hearted mood. Angry tears pricked at the back of her skull, but she blinked them away. Clutching the care-bowl tight in one hand, she traipsed up the stairs and into her own bedroom, thinking that at least now she would have plenty of things to fill her new gift with.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, she didn't have to wait any longer than the next day to discuss the Quidditch tournament with her classmates. Professor McGonagall announced the event over breakfast in the Great Hall, to the hushed anticipation of the student body. As soon as she finished speaking, a flurry of excitement swept around the hall, and several dozen conversations started all at once. Dom, who had been up until that point moping sulkily over her muesli for reasons Rose didn't know, now perked her head up.<p>

"An inter-school Quidditch tournament," she repeated thoughtfully, staring at Rose with her gaze unfocused, as though she were looking straight through her.

"That's right," Rose replied drily.

"But – does that mean – " Dom's blue eyes widened and she leaned closer. "You don't think – "

"I don't think anything," said Rose, with a firmness that she didn't really feel. Now that the suspense of waiting was over, she wondered why she had been so keen for the rest of the school to know anyway. It certainly wasn't going to help her keep her thoughts off of _him_.

"But if he comes – " Dom continued, clearly deciding to abandon pretence and get straight to the issue at hand. "What will you do?"

"He _won't._"

"But if he _does_?"

"He won't, Dom!" Her voice had risen too much, and attracted the attention of those sitting nearby. Daisy Hopkins perked up, leaning across the table towards them.

"He won't what?" she asked, in a clearly-trying-to-be-subtle-but-failing-miserably tone of voice. "Who are you guys talking about?"

It was only through great strength of will and an awareness of her responsibility as Head Girl that Rose resisted the urge to tell the other girl where to stick her curiosity. Instead she forced an ingratiating smile and allowed Dom to speak the lie on her behalf.

"We're wondering if Albus will be made Captain of the team," her cousin said smoothly.

"Oh," Daisy's expression fell slightly at the underwhelming gossip. "Well, I suppose he _is_ Slytherin captain. But there are others." Her eyes slid to Cam Finnigan, Gryffindor's captain and her ex-boyfriend, before she shook her head. "Albus is probably the school's best player, though."

"Hardly," drawled Lily, from her position several seats along. The redheaded girl tossed her hair dramatically, apparently quite unabashed at being caught eaves-dropping. "Albus _thinks _he's the best player, but he hasn't got anything on me."

Daisy gave her a disdainful stare. "So you think you'll definitely be selected then?"

Lily nodded, one corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk. "Of course. Hugo too."

Rose's gaze shifted to her brother. She had barely had anything to do with Hugo recently, and had to admit she wouldn't know the first thing about whether he deserved a spot on the Hogwarts' Quidditch team or not. He certainly looked like a good Beater, having inherited his uncle Fred's stocky build and broad shoulders. But his uniform was dishevelled, and he was wearing the scowl she had come to expect from him these days. There was no sign of his Prefect badge either. She chewed her tongue as she watched him poke at his breakfast, contemplating the best way of finding out what his problem was.

"Really?" Daisy was looking disbelievingly at Lily, who continued to smile so smugly Rose decided she must be doing it deliberately just to annoy her housemate. "That would mean there were three of the Potter-Weasley clan on the team."

"It's just a pity James and Fred aren't still here," said Lily brightly. "Then it'd be five out of seven. Not a bad effort, wouldn't you say?" And before Daisy could reply she stood up, swiped an apple from a nearby fruitbowl, and left.

"What was that all about?" asked Dom in a whisper, as Daisy turned back to confer mutinously with Peoria.

"Dunno," shrugged Rose, her eyes still fixed on Hugo. As though sensing her gaze, he glanced in her direction and the scowl on his face darkened. When she raised his eyebrows at him he turned pointedly away, and a moment later he too had left the table, following Lily out of the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>Quidditch was all anyone could talk about for the rest of the week. Rose found herself dwelling longingly on the time before McGonagall had made her announcement, when she could wander through the corridors and be completely inconspicuous to her passers-by. Now, she couldn't help but be involved in Quidditch. As Head Girl, she was the one everybody came to with their questions, regardless of whether she knew the answers or not. Would first years be allowed to try out? Would Albus be captain? Would they have a back-up in each position or just one? What was the prize for first place going to be? How many players would Durmstrang and Beauxbatons be bringing, and would Scorpius Malfoy be one of them?<p>

"I don't know," she found herself repeating until her voice was hoarse and she was only just resisting tearing her hair out. "You'll have to wait and see. I can't tell you."

The only person getting more attention than her about it all was Albus. Almost overnight, he had become everybody's new best friend. Hopeful Quidditch stars would accost him in the corridor or wait for him outside of class in an attempt to score brownie points for their selection. Suddenly, everyone had a father or uncle that had gone to school with his parents, or a grandmother that was actually a long lost relative of the Weasley clan.

"Now I know how my dad must feel," he confided to Rose one Potions lesson. With the advent of their sudden fame, it had swiftly become a favourite lesson. Professor Cauldrish tolerated no mindless gossip about the Quidditch, and most of the students taking NEWT Potions were the studious and unsportsman types anyway. Not only that, but its location in the dungeons allowed them some time away from the crowds of younger students that now seemed to follow them everywhere in the castle proper. "I can't even go to the loo without being jumped."

"Just pick the team," said Rose, at that moment somewhat distracted with chopping up her mandrake root. "And then everyone will stop hounding you."

Albus huffed, tossing a handful of dried beetle eyes into his potion, which immediately turned a dark purple. "I haven't even been made captain yet," he said.

Rose glanced at him, somewhat surprised at his doubt. "But I thought it was all decided. Didn't McGonagall say they'd be announcing the captain tomorrow?"

Her cousin evaded her gaze. "Well, yeah," he said at last, when the sound of Dylan Turrett loudly reciting his instructions nearby gave them enough cover to resume their conversation. "I guess I should say _I _haven't decided yet."

If she wasn't careful her potion was going to be ruined. Trying to follow Albus' train of thought and not lose track of her Everlasting Elixir at the same time, Rose asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," said Albus, still resolutely avoiding her eyes. "That maybe I don't _want _to be Hogwarts' captain."

There was a long silence, in which the only noise were Turrett's mumblings and the satisfied bubblings of half a dozen cauldrons. Rose stared at her cousin, trying to get a read of his expression in the dim light of the classroom. The idea that he wouldn't want to be captain had honestly never occurred to her. It was the most coveted position in school. Refusing it didn't seem to fit with what she knew of Albus' character at all. "I don't understand," she said eventually. "Why on earth wouldn't you want to be captain?"

Albus clenched his jaw, and when he finally looked at her his gaze was surprisingly fierce. "If _he _shows up… I don't want to have to shake his hand, Rose."

This time she definitely left her potion too long. It began to hiss in complaint, and before she could correct it Professor Cauldrish swooped down upon her like an overgrown bat.

"Miss Weasley, why have you not stirred your potion twenty-two times clockwise according to instruction?"

"Er…" she began to stir rapidly, almost sloshing some of the mixture over the side in her haste. Professor Cauldrish made a scathing noise.

"Concentrate, girl! This is the most vital stage of your potion and your grade depends upon its success!"

"Yes Professor. Sorry Professor," she recited obediently, going through the motions rather numbly until Professor Cauldrish was apparently satisfied and left them in peace once more.

"Sorry," Albus muttered as soon as they were alone again. "That was my fault."

She shook her head. The truth was it was her own fault. She kept floundering around in these kinds of conversations, opening up hornets' nests she didn't even know existed and sticking her foot into things that were best left undisturbed. "You don't want to play against him," she repeated against her better judgment, needing to hear him say it again before she committed his words to memory.

"I want to punch him, not play him," Albus said. His voice was hard and unforgiving, and Rose felt her stomach twist. She remembered how miserable she had been when Scorpius and Albus were fighting the first time, and how relieved she was when they seemed to overcome their differences. Now it seemed that had all been for nothing.

"You should be captain," she said firmly.

Albus glanced at her in surprise. "I'd have to play fair," he said. "I'd have to set a good example."

"I know," she said, dropping three newts' eyes into her potion, so that it gurgled happily. "And he doesn't deserve it. But _you _deserve to be captain, Al. And that's all that matters. He probably won't even get selected. He probably won't even come."

Her cousin didn't look convinced. "But if he did – "

"Who cares about him?" she said fiercely, and for the first time in months there was a little part of her that actually believed her own words. Albus' eyebrows shot upwards. "Seriously, who cares? You're the best damn Quidditch player in this school, Al, and you'd be a great captain. That's all that matters."

He cocked his head and regarded her quizzically. She had to admit she had even surprised herself a little. "Wow," he said, sounding quite impressed. "What's got into you?"

A thimble-full of dragon's blood was the final ingredient for her Elixir. She added it at precisely the right time, and the potion turned a beautiful, even magenta, exactly as it was supposed to. "Maybe I'm just sick of moping," she said.

Albus gave her one of his trademark grins. "Good," he said, mirroring her potion method just as he always had. "That's good."

"You'll be captain, then?"

"Will it get you off my back?"

"Maybe."

He shrugged. "Guess it's worth a shot, then, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall announced Albus as captain over the following breakfast, to much cheer and celebration from the students. Considering he was still a Slytherin, Rose was quite impressed with the level of support he had generated from the other Houses, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw in particular. It was further proof that he had been the right choice, if she had even needed any more.<p>

Try-outs for the team were held in January, and by the end of the month the line-up was announced. Both Lily and Hugo had made the cut. Including them and Cam Finnigan there were three Gryffindors, as well as two Hufflepuffs, a Ravenclaw, and a Slytherin. Apart from a few grumblings, there was overall a minimal of fuss or accusations of bias, which was quite something considering the choices Albus had had to make.

A week after the Hogwarts team had been finalised, and a fortnight before the competition itself was to begin, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons student lists arrived. As Head Girl and Boy, Rose and Lorcan were shown them before anyone else.

"In order for you to familiarise yourselves with the names," Professor McGonagall explained when she approached them. "And to develop a feel for the nature of the teams."

Normally, Rose would have found this to be of cursory interest, a bunch of foreign-sounding names that meant little to her until she could put faces to them. But this time, there was something very specific she was looking for.

Professor McGonagall handed her the Beauxbatons sheet first, which consisted of an even five boys and five girls. She barely even read the names, so anxious was she for the Durmstrang list. But when the Headmistress gave it to her, she found she could barely read that one either. She almost had to physically drag her eyes down the row of (all-male) names, and force them to decipher the neat, print letters. For a long while they refused to obey.

And then she saw it. The name she had been looking for, and yet somehow trying desperately to avoid. In simple script, as unobtrusive as was possible for a name with so much inherent arrogance. Right down the bottom of the parchment.

_Seeker: Scorpius Malfoy. _

So he was coming back after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't even deserve reviews after making you guys wait so long. All I'll ask for is your patience, your understanding, and your continual words of encouragement (okay yes this is the same thing as a review). Because you guys are the only thing that keeps dragging me back to this story. And of course I hope you enjoyed it, too. **

**~A. **


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: I have to stop being such a perfectionist. This chapter won't please everyone. I can't help that. **

**This update is due to two things. One, some absolutely heart-warming reviews I have been receiving lately. You guys are way too nice, and the things you write really motivate me to keep going with this story. As long as you guys are reading then I'll keep writing :)**

**The second thing is _Candles, _by Daughter, a song which so perfectly encapsulates the final scene of this chapter that I basically feel as though it wrote itself. Yeah, that song really inspired me. **

**Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Roses are Red<p>

Chapter Forty-One

* * *

><p>"I honestly don't care."<p>

"Mm-hmm."

"I mean, it doesn't affect me at all."

"So you keep saying."

"And it's not like we're in contact anymore."

"Nope."

"So there's really no reason for me to care."

"I guess not."

Rose glared at her cousin. She could hear the not-so-subtle tone of disbelief in Dom's voice, and it grated on her nerves like nails on a chalkboard. "I mean it," she insisted plaintively.

Dom gave a long-suffering sigh. With one hand, she flicked a page of the monstrous Charms textbook she was attempting to read. "Whatever you say, Rose."

It was Sunday, and they were currently sprawled across the living room floor of the Head Boy and Girl quarters, surrounded by books and piles of note-covered parchment. With their seventh and final year edging ever closer to exam time, the teachers had gone into overdrive, piling mounds of revision and snap tests on top of all their usual work. It should have been overwhelming. Rose knew that now was supposed to be the time when everything else in her life took a back seat to studying, as it had in Dom's. In another life, perhaps she would have been consumed by it . But as things stood now she was finding it a struggle to even concentrate on school.

"Just as long as he doesn't come here and expect me to act like nothing ever happened," she added after a moment's contemplation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw her cousin roll her eyes. But all Dom said in answer was "okay."

"I'm serious," pressed Rose. "I told him I never wanted to see him again and I meant it."

"Well, judging from the way he hasn't been replying to your letters, I doubt that will bother him."

She winced at the brutal honesty of Dom's words. "Well good, because I – "

"Don't want to see him, yes I'm aware of that." Dom sighed again, put down her book, and stared at Rose with the kind of exasperated expression you might give a troublesome child. "Tell me something, Rose. Who are you trying to kid, me or yourself?"

She flushed. Since when had Dom been such a wise-arse, anyway? "I'm not kidding," she said firmly. "And that's really all there is to it."

"If that's all there is to it, then why did you bring it up again?"

"I didn't bring it up!"

"Uh, yes you did."

"Well only because you keep looking at me like that."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like that," Rose said, pointing at her cousin. "Like you're expecting me to burst into tears at any minute. Like I'm too delicate to see him again without breaking down. I'm _not._"

"Good for you," said Dom sarcastically, although she looked less than convinced. Rose opened her mouth to reiterate her lack of desire to see Scorpius, but closed it again on second thought. She didn't need to convince anyone. She would simply show them, when he arrived.

"Besides," she couldn't help but add. "I'm still not convinced he's actually going to come. I mean, how in Godric's name can _Malfoy _be Durmstrang's best Seeker? This is the school that made Viktor Krum_._ Krum! Malfoy's like – like a clumsy hippogriff in comparison. The whole thing's preposterous!"

"Preposterous," drawled Dom. turning another page. Rose glared at her.

"You could be a little more supportive, you know."

Dom shot her a poisonous look, but her reply was cut short by the door opening.

Lorcan bustled in, wrapped in a thick Ravenclaw scarf and beanie. "Oh hello Dominique," he said brightly, kicking the door shut behind him. "How are you?"

"I could be better," said Dom, with a pointed glance in Rose's direction. "Yourself?"

"I'm great," Lorcan grinned and made his way over to the couch. His cheeks were red, and his long hair looked windswept from the outdoors. "I've been helping Professor Sami set up territorial perimeters in the forest. Did you know she's trying to establish a wild Niffler colony there."

The mention of Professor Sami stirred something in Rose's gut. She swallowed hard and looked down at her book, the words blurring momentarily as memories of Hagrid flashed through her mind. It wasn't that she didn't like Professor Sami; on the contrary, the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor was just about the nicest teacher you could ask for, from everything Rose had heard. It was just so hard to imagine anyone but Hagrid tending to the creatures in the forest.

When she raised her head, she realised both Lorcan and Dom were staring at her. The smile had slipped from Lorcan's face and his brow was furrowed in concern.

Embarrassed, she swept her hair back and forced a smile. "That's great. Do you think they'll survive?"

Lorcan cocked his head as though considering the question. "I hope so," he said. "We spent all morning laying out markers and establishing boundaries so they don't impede on anyone else's territory. They normally prefer milder climates, though, so it will be interesting to see how they adjust."

"Sounds fun," remarked Dom. Rose frowned at her cousin, catching the hidden sarcasm beneath her words. But Lorcan, as always, appeared not to notice.

"It was. We had to be careful to avoid the greenhouses, though, since Professor Longbottom's got a new plantation of gold-fronged ferns there. If the Nifflers caught scent of them the whole garden'd be wrecked." He sat down on the couch and surveyed the debris of books on the floor around them. "What are you two doing?"

Dom scowled at her Charms textbook as though it had done her personal offence. "Revising for Spitflick's test on vanishing charms tomorrow."

Lorcan shifted so he was leaning over Rose's shoulder, their feet brushing together at the foot of the sofa. The contact felt strangely deliberate, but Rose told herself not to be stupid. It was his right to sit there as much as it was hers. "I'd forgotten about the test," he said calmly.

Dom groaned. "Well I haven't. And I'll die before I manage to remember all of this. Never mind the practical side of it."

"I can let you practice on me, if you like."

"Vanishing charms?" Dom shot him a sardonic look. "On you?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What if I got it wrong?"

"Oh, I imagine vanishing for a while would be quite stimulating," said Lorcan mildly, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck and folding it neatly beside him. "Have you heard of Aldred Lightsphere?"

"Er, no."

"He disappeared from his home in Surrey in 1934 after a faulty vanishing charm," explained Lorcan. "And reappeared three years later in the Siberian wilderness, claiming to have travelled five hundred years into the future and back again. Of course, some dismissed his story as the ravings of a madman, but I've always thought there was some truth to them."

There was a long pause during which Rose could see Dom visibly deciding whether to laugh or not. In the end her cousin settled for a solemn nod.

"Sounds fascinating."

"I think so," agreed Lorcan. He tapped Rose's leg with his foot. "Have you eaten?"

She shook her head and shot a reproachful glance at Dom. "We missed lunch," she grumbled. "Since _somebody _wanted to keep studying."

"I'll get some food," Lorcan said before Dom could retaliate. He stood up and stretched with a yawn.

Rose twisted so that she could look up at him. "You don't have to – " she began, but he waved away her objections.

"It's no problem. Asparagus pie?"

She bit her lip, weighing up her empty stomach against Lorcan's inconvenience, before nodding. Next to her, she heard Dom's huff of amusement.

"And a custard tart," added Lorcan, his grin widening to show his dimples. "Right?"

"She'll get fat," warned Dom.

Lorcan paused in the doorway, his gaze flicking to Rose. For a brief moment their eyes locked, and she could almost feel the warmth of his expression on her skin.

"Nah," he said, breaking the contact and running a hand through his shaggy hair. "She'll be right, I reckon." He waved, then turned and left.

The silence that followed felt somewhat pointed, before Dom broke it. "He's such a weirdo," she commented with a shake of her head.

Rose tore her eyes from the door. "No he's not."

"He's so different from Lysander."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make him a weirdo."

"Alright," said Dom, shooting her a bemused glance. "Have it your way. He can keep his nifflers though. And you can keep your damn asparagus pie." She made a face, and Rose giggled, the sound oddly loud in the silence Lorcan had left.

They went back to their study, but Rose couldn't help notice the way Dom kept sending pensive looks in her direction. She waited for her to say something, but the silence stretched and stretched, until finally she couldn't take it any longer.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she stared across the mounds of parchment at her cousin. "What?" she asked.

Dom didn't appear abashed at having been caught staring. "Nothing…." she said. "I was just thinking…" she trailed off, twirling a strand of hair around her finger

"Thinking what?"

"About you and Lorcan."

Something tight and uncomfortable coiled in Rose's stomach. "What about us?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

"It's just… he's awful nice to you, isn't he?" Dom went on, now staring over Rose's shoulder as though deep in thought. "Getting you food, taking care of you – "

"He's my roommate," Rose snapped. There was heat crawling up the sides of her face, and she hated the sudden turn their conversation had taken. "He's supposed to do that."

Her cousin quirked an eyebrow. "Is he?"

"Of course he is," she said quickly. "I do the same things for him."

"He's awfully protective of you," said Dom, scratching her chin with the end of her quill.

"He is not."

"He and Charlie don't get along at all – "

"That's because Charlie's a prat."

"Haven't you ever thought that maybe – "

"He's _gay, _Dom," she forced out, annoyed at herself for rising to the bait.

Dom blinked, looking neither surprised nor confused by the statement. "I suppose," was all she said.

"What do you mean, you suppose?" Rose's voice was getting louder, but she couldn't help it. She pushed herself onto her knees, feeling hot and flustered and entirely put out. "It's hardly an 'I suppose' kind of matter, is it?"

"I'm just saying_ – _"

"Well _don't_."

But Dom wasn't about to be cowed. "I think you'd make a cute couple," she continued with a smile.

Rose groaned, flopping back against the edge of the couch. "Please stop."

"Why?" Dom persisted. "He's smart – "

"So?"

"And he knows how to make you laugh."

She certainly didn't feel like laughing right then. If anything, the tell-tale burning of her eyes told Rose she was perilously close to losing the tight grip she held on her emotions. "Lorcan and I have been friends forever," she said as evenly as she could manage. "There's nothing more to it than that."

For a long while Dom said nothing. Then, in a very careful voice, she asked, "Because you don't want there to be? Or because it hasn't happened yet?"

Despite the fire crackling in the hearth, the room suddenly felt ice cold. What kind of a question was that? Rose searched within herself for the obvious answer, but nothing came to mind. A relationship with Lorcan? Damn Dom for putting the idea into her head.

"Because there just isn't," she said with as much conviction as she could muster.

Thankfully her cousin let the subject drop. But she couldn't get the thought of it out of her head. It bounced around her skull, joining her worry over Scorpius' return and her memories of Hagrid in tormenting her. By the time Lorcan got back from the kitchens, she could barely even look at him. Her smile felt fake and forced as she accepted the food he gave her, and she didn't dare retake her position on the floor so that their feet could touch again.

If Lorcan noticed her strange behaviour, he didn't say anything, just resumed chatting easily with Dom about vanishing charms. Rose ignored them both. She concentrated on eating, her eyes intent on the page of the book in front of her. But somehow, she couldn't take in a single world.

"_He's gay, you imbecile."_

_Scorpius raised his eyebrows at her, as if in disbelief. "You're joking!" he scoffed. "He told you that?" He shook his head and blew the hair out of his eyes, as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever head. Rose felt her shackles rise. _

"_Of course I'm not joking, you jerk. But don't go spreading that around, okay? It's none of your business and he'll tell people when he's ready."_

_He didn't look at her, but Rose could see his eye twitch in irritation at her words. "Oh, of course not," he replied in a voice about as far from sincere as he could manage. "I wouldn't want to ruin his little _game._" _

It had been over a year since that conversation with Scorpius beside the lake, and yet the memory of it came flooding back as fresh as if it were yesterday. She had thought nothing of it at the time, chalking it down to Malfoy's strange mannerisms and a lack of communication between Ravenclaw and Slytherin that meant simple things like a person's sexuality never got questioned. But now…

From beneath her fringe, she shot a glance at Lorcan where he sat on the couch, explaining the adventures of Aldred Lightsphere to Dom in excruciating detail. She had been so caught up with her own life that she had barely noticed the changes in her friend, as he grew from a lanky, awkward teenager to a slightly less awkward, even lankier young man.

"_You know, that Ravenclaw you're attached at the hip to. Tall, gangly one, completely uncoordinated. Pretty boy."_

It was probably an accurate description, if a little lacking in finer detail. Lorcan was taller now, and less 'pretty' than he had been in fifth year, puberty lengthening his nose and sharpening his once delicate features into adulthood. Rose tried to remember the last time she had had a conversation with him that confirmed what she had always just assumed about his sexuality, but her mind drew an utter blank. She certainly remembered the first one, vividly.

"_My brother's queer," Lysander had told her, announcing it almost proudly as they played together in the orchard near their family home. It was the summer before their fourth year, and the three fourteen year olds were spending the day together while their parents chatted in the house. Lysander swung upside down from an old elm tree, his long hair falling into his face as he spoke. "Did you know that, Rose?"_

"_We should go to the pond," Lorcan said, as Rose struggled to conjure a suitable response. "There are gulping plimpies in there, you know."_

_But Lysander wasn't about to be so easily brushed off. "Did you hear what I said?" he asked, swinging and catching the branch before flipping himself upright and dropping back to earth. "My brother's got a screw loose."_

_Lorcan was blushing fiercely, his head bowed so low his chin was almost touching his chest. He seemed to have shrunk a foot in the minute that Lysander had been talking, so that despite their heights being close to identical, he looked significantly smaller than his twin at that moment._

"_Stop it," Rose said, feeling her cheeks heat on his behalf. "Leave him alone."_

"_What?" asked Lysander, raising his hands in mock offence. "There's nothing wrong with being gay. Is there, Lorcy?"_

_Lorcan shook his head. _

"_See, Rose?" Lysander was smirking now. "I told you. Don't be so intolerant."_

"_I wasn't – I didn't – " she spluttered incoherently. Lysander was openly laughing at her. _

"_It's okay," said Lorcan, before she could think of a suitable retort that would wipe the smug look off of Lysander's face. "It's fine. Let's just go and have a look at the plimpies."_

"Rose?"

She blinked, jerked rather painfully out of the memory by the sound of her cousin's voice. When she looked up, it was to see both Dom and Lorcan watching her as though she were in danger of spontaneously combusting.

"Huh?"

"I said, do you think we'll be expected to know about the alternative French style of wand-casting, or will standard method be enough?"

It was a struggle to think, what with her mind still full of Lysander's harsh laughter. Had he just been making it up? Why had Lorcan agreed so meekly? If it wasn't true then why had he never done anything to disprove it?

"Merlin, she's completely lost it," Dom muttered.

"Standard will be enough," she said, forcing the words out with an effort. "I think."

"Thank Godric for that."

Her eyes shot to Lorcan, and her heart thumped when he gave her a small smile in return. Surely she was just overreacting to Dom's comments? It was preposterous to think she had been so misled for so long.

And yet, she couldn't get Scorpius' expression of disbelief out of her head.

* * *

><p>"I want you to make sure that all the necessary arrangements are in place for their arrival."<p>

Rose nodded obediently, trailing a few steps behind Professor McGonagall as the Headmistress led she and Lorcan at a brisk pace across the Quidditch pitch, where they were supposed to be surveying the tournament preparations. As far as Rose could tell there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary, save that the colours of the stands had been changed to a neutral cream, and the two team entrances had been renamed 'Hogwarts' and 'Visitors' for the occasion.

"The Beauxbatons students are to be split between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Houses," Professor McGonagall continued, now undertaking a swift lap of the pitch. Rose had to admire her spriteliness; she doubted she would be walking that fast when she was the Headmistress' age. "And the Durmstrang students between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

So Scorpius would be either staying with Albus or Hugo. Rose wasn't sure which proposition bothered her the most. Then she reminded herself that she wasn't supposed to care.

"Nobody will be staying with us, then?" asked Lorcan.

Professor McGonagall shot him a stern glance. "And just where would you propose we lodge them, Master Scamander? In your private chambers?"

Many a student would have wilted under such a question, but Lorcan merely scratched his head. "Well, we could always transfigure the living room into a third bedroom, and perhaps the kitchen could be – "

"That won't be necessary," Professor McGonagall cut him off. She took a sharp turn and began to steer them back towards the castle. "Now, the visiting students will be needing some sort of guidance around the castle. I'm sure you all remember how daunting Hogwarts was in your first year here?" She waited for them to agree before continuing. "Your job will be to minimise confusion and provide the visitors with directions and advice. The Prefects will assist you, of course, but I expect the majority of the heavy-lifting to be done by the two of you. Does this seem appropriate?"

Rose nodded.

"Very good. Master Scamander, would you like to take responsibility for the Durmstrang or Beauxbatons students?"

There was a pause while Lorcan considered the question. Rose almost tripped over her own feet, so hard was she staring at him. When he turned to meet her gaze, she tried desperately to communicate her thoughts to him. _Please take Durmstrang. Please take Durmstrang._

"I'll take the Beauxbatons students," said Lorcan calmly.

"Very well. Rose, I presume you are happy to guide the Durmstrang students around?"

She could have kicked him. Rose chewed her tongue, contemplating Professor McGonagall's reaction if she refused. "That shouldn't be a problem," she said at last, feeling as though she were speaking through a mouthful of sticking solution.

"Excellent." They had reached the castle steps. Professor McGonagall regarded them austerely over the rim of her spectacles. "The students will arrive on Friday. The tournament will take place over the course of the weekend, with medal presentations at Sunday twilight. They will then leave on Monday morning. I do appreciate that you are both undertaking your NEWTs. Rest assured your participation in this activity will be brought to the attention of any future employer." Her eyes lingered on Rose, who tried to force a smile in response. "Are there any questions? Very well," she said when they shook their heads. "I shall expect you both in the Entrance Hall at 6pm on Friday evening to greet our visitors."

Rose waited until the Headmistress was gone before turning angrily on Lorcan. "Why did you take the Beauxbatons students?" she demanded, keeping her voice low since they were still in the Entrance Hall and she knew from experience how far the echoes could carry.

Lorcan did his best impression of complete bemusement. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said. "Why not Durmstrang?"

There was a flicker of what might have been understanding in Lorcan's eyes. But when he spoke, his voice remained calm and placid. "It was a fifty-fifty, and I prefer the French. Did you know they have one of the most active Snorkack Associations in all of Europe?"

"Who gives a knut about Snorkacks!" she snapped, and this time there was no mistaking the hurt in Lorcan's gaze.

"Me, actually," he said rather stiffly.

She felt a surge of guilt. "Lorcan, I'm sorry," she said, catching his hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. "It's just – you read the team sheets, didn't you?"

His expression didn't change. "Of course I did."

"Well then you know that Sc – " her tongue stuck in her mouth, but she forced herself to go on. "You know he's coming back, don't you?"

For a long time Lorcan simply stared at her. "Yeah, I know," he said at last. "I thought you'd be pleased."

"Pleased?" she dropped his hand. "Why would I be pleased?"

"Because you love him."

The raw honesty of his words was like a knife thrust between her ribs. Rose swallowed and clenched her teeth. "I don't," she choked out.

"Yes you do." Lorcan gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay, you know. We can't help the people we love."

Something about the way he said this made her breath hitch. She stared at him, taking in the bright, almost electric blue of his eyes, and the unidentifiable emotion that swam in them, and her heart began to pound. "Lorcan…"

His expression tightened and he blinked once, before glancing away.

There was a long silence. She didn't bother to try and push the issue. What was there to say, really?

"Who told you?" he asked at last, his voice so soft she had to lean forward to catch it.

Had her feet been stuck in the castle's trick step, she would not have felt any more welded to the spot. "Dom," she admitted.

His eyes closed momentarily and when he dragged them back to her face, they were tortured. "I should have told you," he said hoarsely. "I know I should have told you."

She nodded, feeling very close to tears.

"Rose, I'm sorry – "

"Sc-Scorpius knew," she whispered. "In fifth year. He knew and I never – I never even – "

There was an incredibly pained expression on Lorcan's face. He blinked once, twice, and Rose saw his jaw move as though he had swallowed the words he wanted to say. "I didn't know how to tell you," he managed in a voice that didn't sound like him at all. "You always seemed so… so… I didn't want to ruin our friendship and I just…"

She opened her own mouth when he trailed off, but found herself equally at a loss for words. Instead, she took half a step closer to him, swallowing the sob that threatened to rise up her throat. "We're both pretty stupid, huh?" she said thickly.

He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear. "I guess you could say that."

"Lorcan," she tried again. "I want you to know that I'm really – I'm really trying – "

He smiled fondly and leant towards her. She held her breath as he pressed his lips to her temple, closing her eyes and trying not to let any tears slip through her defences.

"It's okay," he whispered.

"But I – "

"Shh, Rose. It's okay. I don't expect you to forget him."

"I _hate _him." The venom behind her own words surprised even her, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip.

Lorcan sighed. "Come on, let's just go back to our room and – "

"No," she twisted so she was facing him, her heart hammering a staccato rhythm against her ribcage. "No I don't – I mean I think – I want – " she stared at her friend, really stared at him for what felt like the first time since she had known him – at his kind eyes, at the dimple in his left cheek, at the shadow of stubble on his jaw. Then, before she could stop herself, she stepped forward, raised herself on her tiptoes, and pressed her mouth to his.

She could feel how stiff he was, the tension radiating from him in waves. But his lips were warm and soft and he didn't push her away. She allowed herself to linger, and after a moment he relaxed fractionally, moving ever so slightly against her mouth and causing a little thrill to run through her. It had been such a long time since she had kissed anyone that the sensation felt strange and unfamiliar. But not unpleasant, she decided, settling into the kiss and shifting closer to Lorcan so that she could feel the warmth of his chest against her own. Maybe there weren't fireworks or stars, but it was nice, and comforting, and safe. It was good.

When they pulled apart, they were both blushing, Lorcan more so than Rose.

"I wasn't expecting you to do that," he mumbled.

"Neither was I."

He shot a covert glance at her. "He's coming back on Friday."

"So?"

"So, Rose – "

She smiled and kissed him again, gently, stealing the words from his mouth, and this time he reached out for her, his hand hovering over her waist before gently easing her closer. He smelt like spices, she decided. Cinnamon and cloves, maybe. So different from –

Lorcan broke the kiss and looked at her. "We should probably go upstairs," he suggested.

Only then did it occur to her that they were standing in the centre of the Entrance Hall, in full view of anyone that might happen to walk by. Not that it really mattered, she considered. It wasn't like there would be any objections to the idea of her and Lorcan. It wasn't at all like… couldn't even be compared to…

"Come on." Lorcan took her hand, and this time she didn't resist him. Her eyes were drawn to the Slytherin stairwell as they passed it, and she blinked rapidly to prevent _his_ image from invading her mind, like an unwanted ghost. Then, with a heart that felt somehow both lighter and heavier than it had all year, she followed Lorcan back upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *Ducks for cover***

**Now, before you start composing your death threats, remember that this is still a ScoRose story, and I haven't changed the pairing in the preamble, nor will I. These things just take... a little time.**

**I have a teaching placement starting in three weeks time. I can't promise when I will next update. Let's all pray for my muse. :)**

**~A**


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: Parts of this chapter have been written for such a long time - since nearly the beginning of the story. It's almost strange to finally publish them. Heh.**

* * *

><p><em>Roses are Red<em>

_Chapter Forty-Two_

* * *

><p>The week dragged like no other. Every day seemed to take twice its usual allotment, and nights became an agony of sleeplessness and restless dreams. Productivity was out of the question. Rose spent most of her class-time watching the clock tick, counting the seconds and wondering just how she was going to stand there on Friday and greet Scorpius as though nothing had ever happened between them.<p>

It seemed to take forever. And yet, despite the torturous wait, it was with genuine surprise that she opened her eyes and found herself at Friday morning. Where exactly had all that time gone? For a few minutes she allowed herself the indulgence of lying there, snug and warm beneath the covers, eyes closed as she imagined she had nothing more interesting than a Transfiguration test to look forward to. Then she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed herself up to greet the morning.

The Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students would be arriving at 6 o'clock. Rose couldn't concentrate, her heartbeat growing progressively more erratic as the day drew on, and her stomach churning sickeningly so that the idea of actually eating was thrown out the window well before breakfast, regardless of Dom's pestering or Lorcan's quiet concern. By the time of her Transfiguration test, she was such a twitching bundle of nerves she could hardly hold her wand steady, and would have struggled to turn a needle into a matchstick let alone her cat into the fully-fledged bald eagle it was supposed to be.

Astonishingly, in a rare and uncharacteristic act of mercy, Professor Millew allowed her to take the test as theory rather than demonstration.

"Just this once, Miss Weasley," the Head of Gryffindor informed her sternly. "Due to the extenuating circumstances, you understand?"

Rose was too busy being grateful to wonder at this surprising demonstration of leniency. Nor did she mind Dom's grumbling about unfairness and teachers' pets afterwards. All she cared about was getting through the day, and then the weekend, without making some kind of irredeemable fool of herself.

It was just as well that in Potions, her final lesson of the day, Professor Cauldrish assigned them to work in pairs, because by that point she was completely unable to uphold even the façade of studying.

"You need to relax," Albus told her as he patiently worked for both of them, simultaneously stirring their potion, adjusting the cauldron fire and measuring ingredients, while Rose sat staring mutely at the magical clock that hung in the far-right corner of the dungeon classroom.

"I'm fine," she replied curtly.

Her cousin made a sound of derision in his throat. "You're about to have a heart attack."

"I said I'm fine."

"Alright, you can chop these then," said Albus, thrusting a tray of horned slugs in her direction. Rose picked up her knife and gazed at it numbly, but before she had a chance to use it Albus snatched the slugs away again. "Actually, scratch that," he said. "I can't be bothered with the drama when you accidentally cut your own finger off."

"Very funny," she retorted. But her hand _was_ shaking, and maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to be handling sharp objects right then.

"Try not to stress too much," he told her, pushing his hair back with his sleeve, green eyes darting back and forth as he concentrated on several things at once. "Just ignore him, and it'll be over before you know it."

There was something strangely wrong about getting love advice from Albus. Rose stared down at her nails and replied as nonchalantly as possible, "I have to show him around."

"Pfft," Albus scoffed. "Show him around? He knows more about this castle than you do."

Her head jerked up and she glared at him. "I resent that."

Her cousin quirked an eyebrow to show he didn't really care. "Scorpius and I owned the Maurauder's Map for five years," he pointed out.

"Yeah – well – that's not even _legal_."

"Doesn't change the fact he knows every nook and cranny of this castle, including some parts I'd bet a galleon you've never even heard of."

She had a sudden image of Scorpius tucked into one of the hidden corners of Hogwarts, wrapped around a faceless girl with long blonde hair. Rose pursed her lips shut and stared at the wall, feeling nauseous.

The silence stretched. When it became uncomfortable, Albus coughed restlessly. "Listen, Rose – "

"I have to show the rest of the Durmstrang students around," she interrupted, desperate to avoid a conversation about her feelings. "And he'll be there. He'll be right here." The idea was terrifying and she had a moment of pure vertigo as she considered it.

Albus frowned down at their cauldron, into which he had just deposited their freshly chopped slugs. "He'll stay away from you if he knows what's good for him," he replied.

Something sharp and painful stabbed at Rose's stomach at, and she turned to face her cousin fully. "Al, you wouldn't – you won't – "

He hesitated just a little longer than she was comfortable with, and didn't meet her gaze as he spoke. "No," he said at last. "After all, I'm Quidditch captain, aren't I? Got to set an example."

"Exactly," she said, staring hard at him in an attempt to get a read on his emotions, without much success. "Besides, McGonagall will be mad as hell if you ruin her whole intercultural awareness thing."

"Mm."

"And you know what your parents would say – "

"Grind these up, would you?" Albus cut her off, thrusting a handful of beetle eyes in her face. "Then you can stir for a while. My arm's about to drop off."

His evasiveness did nothing to calm her nerves, and by the time the bell finally rang to signal the end of class, she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her breathing calm and controlled. Leaving Albus to pack up, she made her way as quickly as possible back to her own dormitory to get ready. Once there she showered, did her hair, agonised over what to wear, redid her hair again, cleaned her room, and was half-way through re-cataloguing her entire book collection when Lorcan arrived.

"You look nice," he said as soon as he saw her, tactfully ignoring the piles of books scattered around her feet.

"Thanks." She glanced down at herself, in ceremonial robes and with her hair in a side braid and a little bit of make-up and okay, maybe she had put a bit more effort into her appearance than normal, but it wasn't because of _him_. She was representing Hogwarts, for Merlin's sake! She didn't need any other reason than that.

"I like your hair," Lorcan noted, tugging on a loose curl and distracting her from her rather chaotic and jumbled thoughts. "You could hide Wrackspurts in there."

"Gee thanks," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Smiling, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, then drew back to survey her. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she shrugged.

"Excellent. Shall we?"" He dropped his bag on the living room couch and offered her his arm.

She stared pointedly at his school robes. "You're not going to get changed?"

"Well, I do have my sunshine yellow robes," he mused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "They're good for welcoming visitors. Perhaps I could – "

"On second thought, stay in your uniform," said Rose, seizing his hand. "Come on then, let's go."

He squeezed her fingers between his own, and she smiled back at him. It was something of an anchor to her as they made their way to the Entrance Hall, where an agitated Professor McGonagall greeted them as though they were running hours behind schedule.

"I thought you'd never get here," she snapped, leading them forward to where she wanted them to stand. "Scamander, your hair." She gave Lorcan's shoulder-length blonde locks a furious glare. "Isn't there anything to be done about it?"

Lorcan smiled meekly. "Would you like to give me a haircut, Professor?"

The Headmistress peered at him, as though trying to determine the level of sarcasm in his question. When he made no further comment, she pursed her lips and muttered what sounded like 'Ravenclaws' under her breath, before taking Lorcan's hat out of his hands and stuffing it onto his head.

"Just cover it up," she snapped, wandering off to bark at some unsuspecting fifth years.

Rose hid her smile behind her hand. She watched as the rest of the students started to arrive, filtering in from different directions according to their House allegiance. There wasn't much for her or Lorcan to do, since McGonagall and the Heads of Houses seemed to have everything under control, so she occupied herself by looking official and occasionally pointing a confused first year in the right direction. At five to six, she spotted Albus emerging from the dungeons, a decidedly sullen-looking Flora lurking at his side. Professor Cauldrish swooped on him before she had a chance to say anything, steering him to his place of honour with the rest of the Hogwarts Quidditch team.

Eventually everything was in order, the entire school gathered in nervous, fidgety excitement.

"Finnigan, your tie," snapped McGonagall, patrolling the lines of students with the air of a dissatisfied bird of prey. "Miss Hopkins, pull your skirt down. This isn't a rock concert!" Daisy scowled and readjusted her uniform.

With a minute to go before the arrival of the visiting students, McGonagall led them out to the front of the castle. Rose and Lorcan went first, the mass of students assembling in rows behind them. The Hogwarts Quidditch team with Albus at its head lined up slightly to one side, next to Professor McGonagall and the other Heads.

It was a beautiful evening. The sky was a deep indigo, and the first stars were beginning to appear high above them. In the distance, the canopy of the Forbidden Forest swayed slightly in the light breeze. Rose eyed it with distrust. The memory of her encounter in the forest the previous year stabbed at her, and with it came another wave of vertigo. She could still hear Scorpius' whispered words to her as she lay staring up at the trees.

_Just stay still Rose. Stay still and I'll get help. It's going to be okay. It's all going to be okay…_

A sob rose up within her throat and she swallowed with an effort, her surroundings blurring momentarily as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

"Rose," Lorcan's voice was low and quiet, so that only she could hear it. He curled his warm fingers around her icy ones. "You need to breathe."

She sucked in a lungful of air, and the darkness receded a little. She could do this – she could –

"Look, here they come!" someone cried out.

For a moment, Rose stared stupidly across the grounds, before she realised that most of the crowd were looking upwards. And sure enough, she could see a dark cloud growing in the sky, larger and larger until it took up half of the otherwise clear evening sky. The colour inside it was a swirling, smoky grey; as Rose watched it began to change, the colours solidifying into shapes and figures, shadowy forms that were surely people emerging out of the gloom…

"It's a portal," she whispered, to nobody in particular.

A velvety, midnight-blue carpet unfurled itself from the base of the cloud, falling to the ground and coming to rest with a heavy thud on the grass, supported by nothing more than air. The cloud's surface lightened, and the shapes of the people inside grew clearer and larger until they were stepping out onto the carpet steps, which took their weight with no apparent difficulty. One by one, the visitors began to descend towards the waiting crowd, their blue uniforms blending with the evening sky behind them.

"Beauxbatons," murmured Lorcan.

There were five boys and five girls, just as the team sheets had indicated, as well as a number of haughty looking teachers. Rose watched as they stepped onto the grass and made their way to where Professor McGonagall stood waiting for them. The Hogwarts' Headmistress bowed low, then embraced each of the Beauxbatons' teachers in turn, kissing their cheeks with a sort of forced endurance. That done, they moved along to greet the Heads of Houses, and the Hogwarts' Quidditch team. Rose watched their movements with something of a dull curiosity, not even noticing how familiar one of the students was until he stood right in front of her.

"Rose," he said, leaning forward and kissing each of her cheeks. "Do you remember me?"

She blinked, taking in the dark hair and tanned skin of the boy in front of her. Something stirred in her memory.

"Er…"

"It's Jean," he offered with a smile before she could put a name to the face. "I danced with you at your cousin's wedding."

Swiftly, she rearranged her features into something less dumbfounded. "Yes, of course. I – er… never expected to see you here."

It wasn't the politest thing she could have come up with. Jean, however, didn't seem to mind, merely laughing and moving on to shake Lorcan's hand, before turning to call back to her with a smile, "We'll talk later, Rose."

There was no time to dwell on the strangeness of it. A second portal was already forming in the sky, another thick, blood-red carpet tumbling heavily to the ground. Rose gulped down the nerves churning in her stomach. It felt as though there was something sharp and painful lodged in her throat.

One by one, the Durmstrang students emerged, transforming from vague, hulking shadows into solid forms as they watched. Their thick fur coats made them appear much larger than their Hogwarts or Beauxbatons counterparts, and rather intimidating given the angle they were approaching from. Rose scanned each face intently as they stepped off the carpet. All boys, their features shadowed slightly by the fading light. All unfamiliar.

For a brief, heart-stopping moment, he wasn't there.

And then she saw him. The last to descend, he stood at the very end of the row, blonde hair covered by a cap that came down over his ears and a thick red scarf concealing the lower half of his face. He looked like a complete stranger. But there was no mistaking those eyes, pools of quicksilver that fixed on her from across the clearing, holding her in place as completely as if she had been turned to stone.

He was right there. _Right _there. Her fingers twitched and she leant forward stupidly, as though to break ranks and run towards him.

Vaguely, she felt Lorcan's hand curl around her own. "Are you alright?" he whispered. "Rose?"

Scorpius' eyes darted to their entwined fingers, and Rose had a sudden urge to rip her hand free. She focused on remembering all the unanswered letters, the hours spent crying herself to sleep, the pain of the last six months, squeezing Lorcan's fingers tight enough to cut off his circulation. Scorpius blinked and looked away.

The Durmstrang Headmaster stepped forward, robes sweeping the grass as he bowed low to Professor McGonagall and the rest of the Hogwarts staff. His students followed his lead, shaking hands in a steady, monotonous rhythm behind him.

One by one, Rose shook hands with the Durmstrang students, the leaden weight in her stomach growing until it felt as though she were being dragged downwards with the force of it. She dropped her gaze before Scorpius approached, fixing her eyes on a blade of grass and thrusting her hand blindly into the air in front of her, unable to stomach the idea of being so close to him.

A moment later she felt the warmth of his palm against her own, grip strong and sure as she remembered. Somehow the familiarity of it only made everything worse. There was a heartbeat's silence before he spoke.

"Rose." His voice was soft, and filled with unspoken things. It reminded her of warm embraces in the Room of Requirement, the heaviness of his arm around her waist, the rumble in his chest when he spoke. "It's nice to see you."

She closed her eyes and nodded, determined not to cry, not to ever cry in front of him again. For the briefest moment his hand tightened around hers, the pad of his thumb brushing featherlight over her knuckle. Then he was gone, her hand hanging limp and empty in the night air until Lorcan took it back within his own.

The procession of Durmstrang students moved to greet the Hogwarts' Quidditch team. Albus' features were twisted into hard dislike, and his long delay in shaking Scorpius' hand spoke louder than anything he could put in words. Neither of them looked at one another, Scorpius moving swiftly on to Hugo. Rose saw her brother's lips move, though she was too far away to make out the words. Scorpius shook his head in response, and Hugo's lips twitched. For one absurd moment Rose thought he was about to smile. He rocked backwards, bouncing on his heels a little like he was about to launch himself, then leant forward and punched Scorpius in the face.

There was a sickening crack, followed by bedlam. Everyone was yelling, pointing, the teachers scrambling over each other in their haste to intervene. The Durmstrang students roared in outrage and rushed over to Scorpius, who had his hands covering his face and blood gushing down the front of his robes. The other members of the Hogwarts' Quidditch team hurried to form a protective barrier between them and Hugo, since several of the larger Durmstrang boys were shaking their fists and shouting threateningly in their native language.

"What in Merlin's name," barked McGonagall, sounding more livid than Rose could ever remember hearing her. The Headmistress pushed her way through the throng, waving her wand a few times to forcibly separate people, before rounding on Hugo like a hissing vulture. "Straight to my office Weasley. Disgraceful behaviour – our guests – never in my life – _get out of my sight boy!_"

Hugo didn't argue, just turned and stalked back into the castle without a second glance, cutting a clear path through the students as they hurried to get out of his way.

One of the Durmstrang teachers had taken out their wand to repair Scorpius' nose. The blood stains down the front of his robes were _scourgified_, though they had less luck with the dark bruise flowering across his cheekbone – Scorpius waved them away angrily before they could fix it. His eyes flickered in her direction, before he shook off his teachers and strode away in the opposite direction. Rose felt something gnaw inside her stomach as she watched him go, but wasn't sure whether it was pity, anger, or both.

Her eyes cut to Albus, and she saw that he looked as tortured as she felt. Dimly, she recalled their conversation over Potions earlier in the year.

_"I want to punch him, not play him."_

And it had been her own brother, her own flesh and blood… bile rose inside her and she tore her hand from Lorcan's grasp, clapping it over her mouth instead.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She shook her head, closing her eyes against the swirl of the night sky above her.

He put an arm around her shoulders and began to steer her gently towards the castle steps. Nobody tried to stop them. The teachers were preoccupied in frantic talks with the Durmstrang officials, several of whom were pointing angrily at their disappearing portal as though to indicate their willingness to march straight back where they came from, while their students skulked in a protective huddle, as though afraid someone else might try to attack them. The Beauxbatons' delegation huddled to one side, looking scared and confused. The rest of Hogwarts were slowly beginning to filter back inside, although several groups of students lingered on the steps, necks craning as they attempted to watch the drama unfold.

"Oh my god!" Dom's high-pitched squeal preceded her body by a split second, before she cannoned into Rose, wrapping her arms around her neck and pressing their cheeks together. "Did you see – Hugo – I don't even – holy _shit_!"

Her lack of coherence was mirrored by most of the students around them. Rose could hear her brother's name echoed everywhere, like some kind of bizarre, whispered mantra.

"I've been so stupid." Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, and Dom, who was babbling at a rate of knots, didn't appear to hear her.

"I mean, one second they're all just standing there, shaking hands, and next second _BAM! _I think he actually broke his nose, there was so much blood. I didn't even realise Hugo knew how to punch anyone, I mean I know he's a Beater but that was hard_core! _Did he say anything to you, Rose?"

She was being steered to the Gryffindor table. At some point, they had lost Lorcan. Rose glanced around, but couldn't see him anywhere; the thought that he wasn't by her side made her feel strangely at sea.

"And did you see Albus' face?" Dom continued to ramble, too caught up in the drama to notice Rose's shellshocked silence. She plonked them both onto the bench and began to fiddle nervously with her cutlery. "He looked like _he'd _been the one hit, you know? I don't think he expected your brother to do that. Your _brother! _I wonder what's going to happen to him. McGonagall was spitting chips. I don't think I've ever seen her look so angry. She's probably going to kick him off the team now. Godric, what's your _mother_ going to say?"

Rose closed her eyes, but it was impossible to drown out her cousin's voice.

"And he worked so hard to get on the team, to just throw it all away for – he must have been so angry – I mean, after what Malfoy did, we all were – and it's nice that he stuck up for you like that, even if it does mean losing his place on the team. Don't you think Rose? Rose?"

There was a long silence, as Dom seemed to finally realise that she had been talking to herself for several minutes. "Are you alright?" she asked at last, in a much softer voice.

Rose nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"What did Malfoy say to you?" Dom asked, in an entirely different tone of voice. "When you shook hands?"

There was a commotion at the front of the Entrance Hall. It appeared the Durmstrang students had been cajoled into staying, for they were now being guided toward the Slytherin table by a strained-looking Professor Slughorn. The Beauxbatons students were being distributed amongst the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

"He said," her voice was as croaky as though she had not used it for months. Swallowing, Rose tried again. "He said, _it's nice to see you._"

There was a flat, awkward silence. "Oh," said Dom at last. "How did he say it? I mean, did he sound – "

Rose sighed, loud enough to cut her cousin off. "I really don't want to talk about it," she murmured, her eyes fixed on Professor McGonagall as the Headmistress made her way to the podium. The hubub died away until there was a ringing silence throughout the Great Hall.

"First of all, I want to extend the warmest of welcomes to our visitors," she said in a voice that carried to all corners of the room without the need for magical enhancement. "I must begin by apologising for the behaviour of a certain individual at this school." Her features darkened furiously and Rose felt herself cringe at her expression. "Here at Hogwarts we pride ourselves on welcoming all those in the magical community within our walls, and it saddens me greatly that this has been lost on one of our own students. I hope it will not sully your experiences here. Rest assured that individual will be dealt with most severely, and that the remaining staff and students of Hogwarts welcome you as our most honoured guests for this weekend. There will be _no _repeats of that performance."

She let her words sink in, the silence in the hall so deafening you could hear a pin drop. Rose glanced around, but her brother was nowhere to be seen. Lily sat huddled with her other friends, eyes red-rimmed as though she had been crying. Albus was currently scowling over at the Slytherin table. There was no sign of Scorpius among the Durmstrang students.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome our visitors to the first Tri-Wizard Quidditch Tournament," Professor McGonagall announced, her voice changing as she clearly attempted to move on. "You will find the schedule for this weekend's matches posted in your respective common rooms. A leader's board has been erected in the Entrance Hall, and will update automatically after each game. At the conclusion of the weekend's matches, there will be a medal ceremony where the winners are presented with this year's prize. May the best team win."

The applause that broke out seemed somewhat more subdued than normal, no doubt due to the unexpected events of earlier. Most students were still craning their heads around trying to figure out what had happened. She noticed several pointing in her direction, and had to forcibly relax her grip on the knife she was holding.

"Do you reckon he's going to get suspended?" Dom continued in a hushed voice, as McGonagall stepped down from the podium and the conversations around the hall started up again. "I mean, in front of everyone like that… surely they've got to tell your parents? Your dad will probably be pleased though."

Her vision was blurring again, despite her best efforts. "Dom – " she choked out in a strangled voice. Her cousin stopped talking abruptly, and put a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder.

"What are you going to do?"

She shook her head in wordless despair, trembling with the effort of controlling her emotions.

The food materialised on their plates, a little quicker than usual. Perhaps the teachers hoped it would help to break the tension that hovered over the Great Hall. It was still very uncomfortable, particularly among the Durmstrang students.

"Do you want to talk to him?"

Rose's eyes drifted around the room, finding Lorcan where he sat at the Ravenclaw table. His normally serene gaze was troubled, and when their eyes met the shadows only seemed to deepen on his face. She attempted to smile, and he did the same.

"Do you think he'll try to find you?"

With a supreme effort, Rose resisted the urge to snap at her best friend. It wasn't Dom's fault her life was so screwed up, and that she had no answers to any of the questions her cousin kept asking. If she'd listened to her in the first place then none of this would have ever happened…

"He barely took his eyes off you, you know."

And there it was, the stabbing pain that had been plaguing her ever since she first learnt Scorpius would be coming back to Hogwarts. Part of her was so desperate to see him again that it was difficult just staying put in her seat; but the other half… she looked at Lorcan again, and wondered if her heart was actually shredding in her chest.

"You should eat something," Dom pressed.

The very thought made her stomach buck rebelliously. Rose knew she would be getting no food that night. She hung around just long enough to avoid suspicion, excusing herself from the table just as Daisy Hopkins began to sidle nearer. Dom didn't try to stop her.

_Straight to my office Weasley, _McGonagall had said. It was no surprise, then, to find Hugo slouched beside the gargoyles that guarded the entrance to the Headmistress' office. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked sullen and unrepentent. When he glanced up and saw her, his features only tightened.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bullishly, eyes sliding away from her to glare mutinously at the wall.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Don't know the password, do I."

"That's not what I mean." She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "What were you thinking, Hugo?"

He shrugged. "I was thinking that Malfoy's smug face needed to be rearranged."

"And since when do you make a habit of going around throwing punches?"

His eyes shifted angrily to her own. "I don't make a habit of it. So long as you don't make a habit of hooking up with two-faced Slytherin cowards."

It was impossible to disguise her wince at the harshness of his words. "Is this because of dad?" she asked, forcing the question out before she lost her nerve.

"Dad was right," retorted Hugo. "He said Malfoy was a no good prat."

"Hugo, I don't need you to fight my battles for me – "

"All year!" he burst out, his voice so loud it startled one of the gargoyles awake. The creature huffed noisily, but Hugo didn't pay it the slightest attention, pushing himself to his feet and glaring furiously at Rose. "All year, I've had to watch you mope around like someone killed half your family. Do you think I don't know you spend every night crying yourself to sleep? You think I like seeing you like that? You think any of us do?"

"And what on earth have you done to help?" she found herself shouting back, unable to resist the urge to let out some of her pent up emotions. "You think punching Malfoy solves _anything_? Do you think I like seeing _you _here, about to get kicked off the Quidditch team and suspended and Merlin knows what else?"

"It sure as hell beats shaking his hand!"

"Seriously Hugo, are you twelve? What kind of a response is that?"

"It's the sort of response that comes with a bit of pride," Hugo shouted, his cheeks flushed red in anger and matching the colour of his hair. "Something you don't have a lot of, or you'd never have shacked up with a Malfoy to begin with!"

She recoiled, shock and hurt coursing through her like the afterburn of a slap to the face. Hugo's jaw tightened, and he turned away again. His words hung in the air, poisonous and heavy, until Rose couldn't stand it any longer.

"Scorpius may have left in - in unpleasant circumstances, Hugo, but that does _not _give you the right to go around throwing haymakers like a drunk Muggle," she said quietly, managing to keep the tremor in her voice to a minimum. "If I ever need your help dealing with my personal relationships I'll ask for it. Otherwise I'd prefer if you'd stay out of my business, regardless of how embarrassing and shameful you find it."

She turned and walked away before he could reply, allowing the first tears to fall the moment she was safely around the corner.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, angst. Nothing like a side-serving of the stuff for Monday morning breakfast. Also nothing like a dastardly assignment to motivate me into updating.**

** Until next time lovelies :)**


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